Data leak at brillen.de? Reports of millions of unprotected customer data online

According to media reports from heise.de and Cybernews it should be with the provider brillen.de Apparently there was a massive data leak. Data from more than 3.5 million European customers – mainly from Germany, Austria and Spain – are said to be freely accessible on the Internet. According to reports dated October 17, 2024, affected data includes sensitive information such as name, address, email address, telephone number, date of birth and even detailed order information. The law firm of Dr. Stoll & Sauer generally takes the view that in the event of serious data breaches, those affected could have claims for damages and therefore offers comprehensive legal advice. The law firm recommends that victims of data leaks receive a free initial consultation Online-Check. brillen.de customers can also take advantage of the advice. More information on the subject of data leaks can be found on our website.

Data leak discovered at brillen.de on August 8, 2024?

The number of data leaks and cyberattacks is increasing every day. Consumers receive suspicious text messages or emails while criminals try to obtain highly sensitive data using various tricks and software attacks. Advancing digitalization increases the risk of cyberattacks, highlighting the importance of understanding the most common data breaches and their consequences, as well as the need for appropriate preventative measures. Now the online portal brillen.de is said to have caught it. The law firm of Dr. Stoll & Sauer summarizes what has become known so far according to media reports:

• According to the online magazine Cybernews, IT researchers discovered an unprotected one on August 8, 2024 Elasticsearch instance from brillen.de, which was accessible without authentication. This cluster contained 2,464,579 data sets from Germany alone, 961,000 from Spain and 90,000 from Austria. Although the IT researchers reported the incident immediately, the database was only taken offline two days later, on August 10th – and without any reaction or statement from the company.
• The length of time this sensitive data was freely accessible on the Internet is still unclear. According to the media, what is particularly worrying is that search engines such as Google can index such open databases, making the data discoverable by anyone. In addition, cybercriminals actively seek out such vulnerabilities to steal personal data and use it for identity theft or phishing attacks.

Conclusion from the law firm Dr. Stoll & Sauer on the possible brillen.de data leak

• The current incident shows how far-reaching the impact of a cyber attack can be when inadequate security precautions lead to a data leak. The possible data leak at brillen.de is another alarming example of companies’ negligent handling of their customers’ data. Consumers who have placed orders at brillen.de must now be prepared for identity theft and targeted phishing attacks. Dr. Stoll & Sauer strongly recommends considering legal action.
• Affected customers can use the free initial consultation the law firm of Dr. Let Stoll & Sauer check quickly and easily whether you Claims for damages to be entitled. The law firm recommends that those affected by the data leak receive an initial consultation free of charge Online-Check. More information on the subject of data leaks can be found on our website.

Two Facebook proceedings before the Federal Court of Justice

Are users entitled to claims for damages? There is currently no uniform case law on the subject of data leaks in Germany. The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) wants to deal with the issue for the first time on November 11, 2024 in two proceedings.

The BGH must provide guidelines for the lower courts. Against this background, the law firm Dr. Stoll & Sauer draws attention to relevant decisions of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) from 2023, which significantly strengthen the rights of consumers in the context of data protection violations. These will also be taken into account in the decisions regarding the present proceedings.

• By relying on Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), consumers can request information from companies about whether they have been affected by an attack.

The consumer law firm Dr. Stoll & Sauer therefore recommends that consumers who may be affected by a data leak receive a free initial consultation Online-Check. Here, the law firm examines the possible impact and the legal options for asserting claims for damages. The law firm has already taken action in the case of one Data leaks on Facebook Claims for damages amounting to 3,000 euros were enforced in regional courts.

Dr. Stoll & Sauer is one of the leading consumer law firms

At the law firm of Dr. Stoll & Sauer Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH is one of the leading law firms in consumer and investor protection law. With the expertise of 23 lawyers and specialist lawyers, the law firm is available to clients in all important legal areas in Lahr, Stuttgart and Ettenheim. The law firm specializes, among other things, in banking and capital markets law as well as the emissions scandal. There are also the topics of labor, traffic, IT, insurance and administrative law. The shareholders Dr. Ralf Stoll and Ralph Sauer led the model declaratory action against Volkswagen AG and negotiated an 830 million settlement for 260,000 consumers. The owners are currently pursuing a model declaratory action against Mercedes-Benz Group AG in a special company. In the JUVE handbook 2019/2020, the law firm is mentioned as having a market impact for its expertise in managing mass proceedings.