Legal aid cyber attack exposed records dating back to 1978

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 12:58 · Archive

Hackers accessed legal aid records spanning from 1978 to May 2025 in a cyber attack on the UK's Ministry of Justice.

Hackers exploited vulnerabilities in the Legal Aid Agency's IT systems during a cyber attack to access and download personal data. The Ministry of Justice had previously disclosed that records from 2007 onwards were compromised, but courts and legal services minister Sarah Sackman confirmed on Wednesday that the breach extends considerably further, with the earliest verified record dating from 1978.

The stolen data may include basic personal details such as names, addresses and dates of birth, as well as information relating to legal aid applications and cases. In some instances, the compromised records contained financial or other sensitive personal information. Sackman told the Commons that the vast majority of the exfiltrated data dates between 2007 and 16 May 2025, with the majority of pre-2007 records coming from the 1990s and 2000s. Only a very small number of records extend further back than this period.

Specialist technical and data teams have continued analysing the information taken during the attack. The Register reports that probation service records were also among the data obtained by the hackers.

How it is being reported

• Legal Aid Agency hackers made off with records dating back to 1978Nearly 50 years of data caught up in breach, with probation service records also among the haulThe Register · 15 Oct, 12:23
• Hackers stole records dating back almost 50 years in legal aid cyber attackData taken may include ‘basic personal details such as names, addresses and dates of birth, as well as information relating to legal aid applications and cases...’The Independent · 14 Oct, 18:23

In this story: Legal Aid Agency · Ministry of Justice · Sarah Sackman · UK

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