If you are ever unfortunate enough to need legal advice after being charged with a crime, and you can’t afford to pay for a lawyer, you will probably end up turning to the Legal Aid Agency (LAA). I’m familiar with the system. When I was charged with fraud in 2018 I applied for legal aid.
When you apply, the LAA asks you for a great deal of information, including your national ID numbers, criminal record, employment status, financial information and even any debts you have and regular payments you make. In the wrong hands this data could be used for identity theft and potentially blackmail.
In the wrong hands this data could be used for identity theft and potentially blackmail
This makes today’s news that the agency suffered a significant cyber attack in April deeply concerning. The attackers targeted the LAA’s online digital services platform, used by legal aid lawyers to log their work and receive payments.
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