UK Legal Aid Agency Says Hackers Stole Records Dating Back to 1978
Summary
The UK Legal Aid Agency says attackers who breached its systems in April 2025 stole records dating back to 1978, including sensitive applicant, recipient and provider data. The agency says there is no evidence the data has been published.
Key points
- The Legal Aid Agency disclosed that attackers breached its IT systems in April 2025.
- Follow-up analysis found about 250,000 stolen records predate 2007; the earliest verified record dates to 1978.
- Stolen applicant and recipient data includes contact details, dates of birth, national ID numbers, criminal history, employment status, debts and payments.
- Provider data includes contracts, financial and contact information, and LAA Online Portal credentials.
- The agency said older records do not mean everyone who interacted with the legal aid system before 2007 was affected.
- A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said there is currently no evidence that personal data believed to have been exfiltrated has been published.
Article Details
- Victim Organization
- Legal Aid Agency
- Incident Type
- Cyberattack and confirmed data breach involving theft and exfiltration of records
- Incident Date
- 2025-04-01
- Data Types Exposed
- Applicant and recipient contact details
- Dates of birth
- National ID numbers
- Criminal history
- Employment status
- Contribution amounts
- Debts
- Payments
- Provider contracts
- Office locations
- Provider financial information
- Provider contact details
- LAA Online Portal credentials, including names and email addresses
- Affected Records
- Approximately 250,000 records predate 2007. The total number of affected records was not disclosed.
- Operational Impact
- The source does not report operational disruption. The agency said there was no evidence that personal data believed to have been exfiltrated had been published.
- Ransom Or Extortion
- None reported for this incident.
- Claim Status
- confirmed