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Legal data breach as cloud files hacked by employee

A worker has been accused hacking into legal files and suspended from his job at a cloud storage company.

Solicitors Actons Newman obtained a High Court injunction on 16 November preventing the worker in legal cloud services company Expd8, and his wife, from using the legal files which were allegedly obtained in an unauthorised fashion.

The cloud services firm was contracted to provide case management services to Actons Newman. Senior counsel for the legal firm Frank Callanan told Judge Bronagh O’Hanlon, that there was “significant urgency” in the matter.

Disputed estate

Partner at the legal firm Mark Doyle told the court he was informed that an Expd8 worker had accessed files relating to a disputed estate which Actons Newman was administering.

The employee’s wife was a beneficiary of this estate. The court was told that the injunction was needed to safeguard the legal files.

Judge O’Hanlon granted the injunction. She asked that the hearing not be reported by the media.

However, Sunday Times barrister James McGowan intervened and counsel for Actons Newman said his client did not have a legal footing to request reporting restrictions.

Expd8 confirmed the data breach.