UK Legal Aid Agency: Hackers stole records dating back to 1978

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA), an executive agency of the UK's Ministry of Justice managing the Public Defender Service, suffered a significant data breach. Attackers breached its IT systems in April 2025 and exfiltrated records dating as far back as 1978. The breach represents a major exposure of highly sensitive legal and personal data spanning nearly five decades. The LAA oversees legal aid funding in England and Wales, meaning the stolen data likely includes sensitive personal and legal information of vulnerable individuals. The scale and historical depth of the breach raises serious concerns about data retention practices and legacy system security. This incident highlights the risks of retaining large volumes of historical data without adequate protection.