Cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency’s online digital services

By Evie Kim Sing for Identity Week
Wednesday, May 21, 2025

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A significant amount of personal data has been accessed and downloaded from Legal Aid digital services since 2010, the UK government has revealed. The service through which legal aid providers can log their work and receive payment from the Government was compromised and left undiscovered until Wednesday 23rd April 2025. Upon the discovery, the government says it took immediate action to stop any more damage being done, amending the security of the system and informing all legal aid providers that some of their personal data had been lost, including contact details, addresses, applicant’s dates of birth, national ID numbers, financial information, criminal history and employment status. The government’s cyberattack has been described as “one of the most devastating against the UK in 2025” according to Dr. Ilia Kolochenko, CEO at ImmuniWeb, and a Fellow at the British Computer Society.

Its repercussions are “stigmatizing, long-lasting” and cause perceptible harm to the legal aid applicants affected, due to the large amount of sensitive information that criminals managed to obtain. However, Dr. Kolochenko also said it would be too premature to make conclusions whether any human negligence was to blame in the case.

The extent of the attack is more extensive than originally thought, prompting the government to create a management plan with the National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre. Read Full Article