Breachesby GlyphLegal Aid Agency
Disclosed Nov 20, 200725,000,000 affectedUnverified
Two lost discs held child benefit data of 25 million UK residents
Junior HMRC staff sent two password protected discs holding the full child benefit database to the National Audit Office by unrecorded courier in October 2007, and they never arrived. Chancellor Alistair Darling told Parliament on November 20 that data on 25 million individuals and 7.25 million families was lost.
What is known
| People affected | 25,000,000 (as reported by the organization) |
|---|---|
| Disclosed | Nov 20, 2007 |
| Discovered | Nov 8, 2007 |
| Attack | Lost or stolen device |
| Data exposed | NamesAddressesDates of birthGovernment IDsFinancialChildren's data |
| Sector | Government · GB |
| Status | Unverified: not yet confirmed by an official notice, a filing or the organization |
Sources
Notices filed
Other breaches at Legal Aid Agency
Legal Aid Agency cyberattack: Compromised data goes back to 1978Legal Aid Agency cyberattack: Compromised data goes back to 1978HackingGovernmentGBUnverifiedOct 15Hackers download legal aid applicant data dating back to 2010Hacking exposed names, addresses, dates of birth, government IDs, employment records and financial details.HackingGovernmentGBMay 19, 2025Armed forces payroll system breach exposes 272,000 personnel and veteransVendor breach exposed names, financial details and addresses.Vendor breach272K affectedGovernmentGBUnverifiedMay 7, 2024Emails sent without BCC exposed 265 recipients' addresses; ICO fine of GBP 350,000Insider exposed emails.Insider265 affectedGovernmentGBFeb 26, 2024
History of this record
First recordedby seedSource
First seen 2026-09-25 (Research). Record counts are as reported. Not legal advice.