Herbert Smith Freehills and the Federation Against Software Theft are delighted to invite you to our joint webinar on Wednesday 20 January 2021, where expert speakers from Herbert Smith Freehills will provide insights into the following topical issues: Ransomware: Ransomware attacks are on the increase and the impact in terms of disruption and damage to reputation … Read more

Summary The ICO has fined Marriott Inc (“Marriott”) £18.4 million in relation to a 2014 cyber-attack on Starwood Hotels. The ICO had previously issued a notice of its intention to fine Marriott £99.2 million. The Penalty Notice does not explain the reasons why the final fine is considerably lower than this amount. Following the ICO’s … Read more

  The ICO has fined British Airways £20 million for breach of the GDPR in relation to its 2018 data breach. This is a significant reduction in the original proposed fine of £183 million. In the monetary penalty notice issued to British Airways, the ICO has confirmed that the reduction of almost 90% was only … Read more

Today the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Wm Morrisons Supermarkets Plc v Various Claimants [2020] UKSC 12, bringing to its conclusion a case which had the potential to alter significantly the data protection and cyber security litigation and class action landscape. The headline news is that Morrisons has been found not to be vicariously liable for the … Read more

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey (“CSBS”) is an annual study of UK businesses and charities that began in 2015. The latest CSBS was conducted during the winter of 2019/2020 and the results published on 25 March 2020. The CSBS influences how the government shapes future policy, allows organisations to compare their cyber security with others … Read more

On 30 January 2020, the French construction company, Bouygues Construction, was hit by a ransomware-type attack on their computer network. In subsequent press-releases Bouygues reported that it had taken all of its information systems offline as a precautionary measure to prevent further propagation of the attack, and advised that operational activity on its construction sites … Read more

  The Supreme Court in England has two issues to consider in the appeal which opens today. First, should the company be held to be vicariously liable for the acts of its employee in this case? It concerns, after all, a rogue employee, who took payroll data with which he was entrusted home on a … Read more