In 2021, the Lister Fertility Clinic – one of the UK’s leading fertility treatment providers – was hit by a serious data breach. This breach exposed the sensitive medical records of approximately 1,700 patients, putting them at risk of identity theft, fraud, and emotional distress.
The breach occurred due to a ransomware attack on Stor-a-File Limited, a third-party document management provider used by Lister and several other healthcare organisations. When Stor-a-File refused to pay the ransom, cybercriminals leaked thousands of patient files onto the dark web.
What patient data was exposed?
According to various reports, the stolen records included:
- Patient consent forms
- Medical histories and test results
- Fertility treatment records
- Scanned copies of passports (for both patients and their partners)
- Personal and contact information
This highly sensitive data should have been securely protected. Instead, it is now feared to be circulating among cybercriminals. To make matters worse, some of the data stolen from Stor-a-File was later published on the dark web.
Why the Lister Fertility Clinic data breach is so serious
Healthcare data breaches are particularly concerning because:
- Medical records are permanent. Unlike credit card numbers, they can’t simply be changed
- Personal data can be misused for fraudulent activities such as identity theft and scams.
- Medical histories, including details of fertility treatments, could be used maliciously against patients.
- Many patients have expressed anxiety and fear over the exposure of their private medical information.
How Lister Fertility Clinic Responded to the data breach
Lister has apologised to affected patients and stated that their data has not yet been found on the dark web. However, the clinic has admitted that this could still happen, causing further distress to those involved.
Can you claim data breach compensation?
If you are a Lister Fertility Clinic patient whose data was exposed in this breach, you may be eligible to claim compensation.
Join the Claim connects consumers with SRA-regulated lawyers. Visit the claim page to check your eligibility if a claim is open with one of our trusted legal partners. If a group action has not yet been launched, you can register your interest and we’ll keep you informed if a partner firm decides to take a claim forward.
