The UK Legal Aid Agency (LAA) says attackers who breached its IT systems in April 2025 stole records dating back to 1978. The agency, part of the Ministry of Justice, provides legal aid services in England and Wales.
In an update this week, the LAA said follow-up analysis found approximately 250,000 stolen records predate 2007. Most are from the 1990s and 2000s, with a very small number dating from before 1990. The earliest record verified so far is from 1978.
The agency said most of the stolen data relates to applications, claims or payments submitted between January 2007 and 16 May 2025, or to cases active during that period. Records from before 2007 do not mean that everyone who applied for or received legal aid, or interacted with the justice system before then, was affected.
The LAA first disclosed the cyberattack in May 2025. It later said attackers had taken sensitive applicant and recipient information, as well as provider data. The Ministry of Justice said there is currently no evidence that personal data believed to have been stolen has been published.
The ministry said it had committed £20 million to stabilising and upgrading the agency’s digital systems before the attack. It is now investing more than £200 million to modernise digital services, improve resilience and strengthen cybersecurity across legal aid services.
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