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UK ICO Reprimands Data Cymru After 'Password1' Test Account Breach

The regulator found both Data Cymru and its IT provider breached UK GDPR after ransomware entered through a 12-year-old test account, exposing data on 3,300 people, mostly children.

NexGenex Labs Research TeamNews
PublishedReading time2 min read
UK ICO Reprimands Data Cymru After 'Password1' Test Account Breach

The update

On October 20, 2026, the UK Information Commissioner's Office reprimanded Data Cymru and its IT provider, Ogi Networks, over a ransomware attack in November 2024.

Key facts

  • Attackers entered through a test account called "Test 2", more than 12 years old, protected only by "Password1".
  • 42GB stolen and 182.7GB encrypted; data on 3,300 people, most of them children, was affected.
  • Both organizations breached UK GDPR. Neither was fined; both received reprimands.

What to do now

Audit dormant, test and vendor accounts, block common passwords and require MFA on remote and admin access. Our account-hygiene audit lists the steps.

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