In June 2024, a significant data breach at Synnovis rocked the UK healthcare sector, impacting multiple NHS services and compromising sensitive patient information. If you're concerned about whether your data has been affected, this article breaks down the critical information about what was leaked, your level of risk, and the necessary steps to protect yourself.
What Datapoints Were Leaked?
The Synnovis data breach in June 2024 exposed a wide range of personal and clinical information. For many affected, this wasn’t just a matter of names or phone numbers—some of the most sensitive health-related details were caught up in the incident.
The Core Data Compromised
Here’s what is confirmed to have been leaked:
NHS Numbers: This is a unique identifier tied to your medical records across the UK healthcare system.
Full Names: Including first and last names, potentially making identification easier for malicious actors.
Dates of Birth: Adding another layer of risk, especially when combined with other identifiers.
Test Results: This is where it gets especially sensitive. Some of the files contained laboratory test results, which could reveal deeply personal health information.
The Complexity of the Stolen Data
It’s important to note that much of the information, particularly test results, isn’t straightforward to interpret. Clinical abbreviations, medical jargon, and codes are common. Without specialized medical knowledge, most of this data would look like gibberish to an outsider. But to someone with the right expertise, it could reveal private details about conditions or treatments.
The breach didn’t just expose everyday contact info; it peeled back layers of privacy that many assume are locked away in the healthcare system. For anyone with a record in the affected systems, this breach is personal.
Should You Be Worried?
When a data breach makes headlines, it’s natural to wonder if you’re in the crosshairs. Let’s cut through the noise and break down what’s at stake, especially with the Synnovis breach fresh in mind.
What’s Actually at Risk?
A data breach isn’t just a tech mishap—it’s your personal details, medical info, or even financial records falling into the wrong hands. Here’s why that matters:
Identity Theft: Stolen data can be used to impersonate you—opening credit lines, draining bank accounts, or worse.
Phishing Attacks: Criminals armed with your private info craft convincing emails, texts, or calls that trick you into revealing even more.
Medical Fraud: Health information in the wild means someone could use your insurance, rack up medical bills, or mess with your medical history.
Reputational Damage: Leaked details can haunt you, popping up in background checks or even in public forums.
Why Should You Care?
Many people shrug off breaches, thinking, “It won’t happen to me.” But ask anyone who’s dealt with identity theft—it’s no minor inconvenience. The headache of freezing accounts, fixing credit reports, or explaining false medical records is real. Plus, cybercriminals don’t always strike right away. Sometimes, stolen data sits in the dark web, waiting to be sold and misused months or years later.
Realistic Fallout for Those Affected
The Synnovis breach exposed sensitive data from a trusted healthcare provider. If you were a patient or customer, you might face:
Unwanted Contact: Phishing emails or scam calls targeting your private details.
Financial Exposure: If payment info was involved, watch for suspicious charges or new accounts in your name.
Privacy Loss: Medical data in the wrong hands can’t be “unseen.” It might impact insurance, job opportunities, or personal relationships.
Staying Safe—What You Can Do
You can’t control a company’s security, but you can take steps to protect yourself. Tools like Cloaked allow you to create masked emails, phone numbers, and credit card details, so if there’s another breach, your real information stays private. It’s like wearing a digital disguise—if the mask gets stolen, your real face stays safe.
Remember, ignoring a breach won’t make the risk disappear. Staying alert, monitoring your accounts, and using privacy tools can help you stay one step ahead.
What Should Be Your Next Steps?
When your personal data might have been exposed in a breach, acting quickly can keep you ahead of identity thieves. Here’s how you can take control:
1. Secure Your Accounts
Change Passwords Immediately: Start with your most sensitive accounts—email, banking, and health portals. Use strong, unique passwords for each.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): This adds another line of defense, making it harder for criminals to access your accounts even if they have your password.
Update Security Questions: If those answers were part of the breach, switch them up.
2. Monitor Your Information
Check for Suspicious Activity: Look out for unfamiliar charges, notifications about password changes, or new accounts you didn’t open.
Request Credit Reports: In the UK, you can request free credit reports from agencies like Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Review them for anything odd.
Use Credit Monitoring Tools: These services alert you if someone tries to open a new account or make changes to your credit file.
3. Notify the Right People
Alert Your Bank: If your financial information may be compromised, let your bank know. They can monitor for fraud or issue new cards.
Report Identity Theft: If you see signs your identity is being misused, contact Action Fraud (the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime).
4. Limit Future Exposure
Be Wary of Phishing: After a breach, phishing attempts often spike. Don’t click on links or download attachments from unfamiliar sources.
Minimize Data Sharing: Give out personal information only when absolutely necessary.
5. Consider Identity Protection Services
Automate Monitoring: Identity protection tools can track the dark web for your personal data, alert you to breaches, and help you respond if something goes wrong.
Cloaked’s Role: Cloaked offers solutions to help keep your personal data private. With features like masked emails, phone numbers, and credit card details, Cloaked limits what’s exposed—even if a breach happens. This means your real information stays hidden, making it harder for attackers to use your data against you.
6. Stay Informed
Follow Official Updates: Keep an eye on communication from the breached organization and trusted news sources. They’ll share steps you can take and what information was affected.
Taking these steps isn’t just a checklist—it’s a way to protect your peace of mind. Staying vigilant, using the right tools, and being smart with your data can help you bounce back from a breach, and help you avoid bigger headaches down the line.
Cloaked FAQs Accordion
Frequently Asked Questions
First, change your passwords—especially if you've reused them across sites. Then enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on all key accounts. Review your account and credit activity regularly for any unusual behavior. If suspicious actions surface, consider freezing your credit and alerting your bank. To proactively reduce exposure in the future, tools like Cloaked can mask your personal information before breaches happen.
Cloaked provides you with disposable emails, phone numbers, and payment details, making it harder for bad actors to access your real identity. These tools help you safely sign up for services, communicate, and shop online without putting your core identity at risk.
Commonly targeted data includes full names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, physical addresses, login credentials, and payment info. Tools like Cloaked help shield this information by providing secure, masked alternatives.
Always be skeptical. Malicious links are one of the most common ways hackers infect devices or steal data. Avoid clicking unless you can verify the source. Services like Cloaked can add layers of security so your real contact info isn’t exposed even if you make a mistake.
Using the same contact info across platforms makes it easy for attackers to build a full profile of you. If one platform gets breached, all your accounts can be at risk. That’s why Cloaked allows you to use different, secure contact methods for each service.
At Cloaked, we believe the best way to protect your personal information is to keep it private before it ever gets out. That’s why we help you remove your data from people-search sites that expose your home address, phone number, SSN, and other personal details. And to keep your info private going forward, Cloaked lets you create unique, secure emails and phone numbers with one click - so you sign up for new experiences without giving away your real info. With Cloaked, your privacy isn’t a setting - it’s the default. Take back control of your personal data with thousands of Cloaked users.
*Disclaimer: You agree not to use any aspect of the Cloaked Services for FCRA purposes.
