Our recent cases involve data breaches, phishing scams, account takeovers, and cybersecurity failures, pursuing consumer recovery against banks, exchanges, fintech companies, and technology platforms through litigation and arbitration nationwide.
Cybersecurity Failures & Data Breach Attorneys
New York, California, and Nationwide Representation
- MDF Law represents individuals who have suffered financial loss, identity theft, or account compromise as a result of cybersecurity failures, data breaches, phishing scams, and account takeovers. As businesses increasingly collect and store sensitive personal and financial data, failures to implement reasonable security measures have become a leading cause of consumer harm.
- Our firm represents victims in New York, California, and nationwide, pursuing claims against banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, fintech companies, technology platforms, employers, and service providers whose inadequate cybersecurity practices allowed third-party hackers, fraudsters, or impostors to gain access to consumer accounts.
- Cybersecurity failures often occur quietly but have immediate and devastating consequences. Consumers are frequently told that hacking losses are unavoidable or that responsibility lies solely with a criminal actor. In reality, companies that collect and control sensitive information have legal duties to safeguard it. When security systems fail or response protocols break down, those institutions may be held accountable for resulting losses.
Cybersecurity Failures, Data Breaches, and Consumer Harm
- A cybersecurity failure occurs when a company fails to implement, maintain, or update reasonable safeguards to protect personal, financial, or account data. These failures often result in data breaches, unauthorized access, phishing-enabled fraud, and account takeovers.
- Many cyber-related losses arise from phishing scams or social-engineering attacks that exploit exposed personal data or weak authentication systems. Data breaches frequently provide criminals with the information needed to convincingly impersonate companies, employees, or trusted contacts. Account takeovers may follow when institutions fail to detect suspicious access, ignore irregular login patterns, or allow unauthorized transactions to proceed despite clear warning signs.
- Losses are often compounded when institutions delay response, fail to investigate, or issue blanket denials of responsibility.
Cybersecurity and Data Breach Claims Under New York Law
- New York is a major center for financial services and data-driven businesses, making cybersecurity failures particularly harmful to consumers. Companies operating in New York are subject to statutory, regulatory, and common-law obligations to safeguard consumer information and respond appropriately to security incidents.
- Claims involving cybersecurity failures and data breaches in New York may arise under New York General Business Law § 349, which prohibits deceptive and unfair business practices, as well as under negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, conversion, and unjust enrichment theories. Financial institutions and businesses may also face liability when they fail to follow internal cybersecurity policies, industry standards, or regulatory guidance designed to prevent unauthorized access.
- Our New York cybersecurity failure attorneys evaluate whether companies acted reasonably both before and after a breach, including whether appropriate safeguards were in place and whether the response to known risks was timely and adequate.
California Privacy Law and Data Breaches
- California provides some of the strongest consumer privacy and data security protections in the country. Under the California Consumer Privacy Act and its amendments, businesses that collect or process personal information of California residents are required to implement reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the data.
- When a company fails to maintain reasonable security and a data breach occurs, California law may allow affected consumers to pursue civil remedies if the security failure was a substantial factor in causing harm. Data breaches involving exposed financial information, account credentials, or identifying data may give rise to claims where inadequate cybersecurity practices enabled unauthorized access, identity theft, or account takeovers.
- Our California data breach attorneys assess whether a business’s cybersecurity practices complied with California privacy law and whether failures to safeguard personal information contributed to financial or identity-related harm.
Institutional Responsibility for Cyber Losses
- Cyber losses are often blamed solely on third-party hackers, but institutional responsibility does not disappear simply because a criminal actor was involved. Banks, exchanges, and platforms may face liability when they fail to implement reasonable fraud-prevention measures, ignore warning signs of compromise, or permit unauthorized transactions after suspicious activity is detected.
- When companies profit from digital transactions while failing to secure consumer data or accounts, they may be held accountable under privacy statutes, consumer protection laws, and common-law principles.
Forced Arbitration in Cybersecurity and Data Breach Cases
- Many disputes involving cybersecurity failures and data breaches are governed by mandatory arbitration clauses contained in account agreements or terms of service. Consumers are often told that arbitration prevents recovery or shields companies from responsibility.
- Arbitration does not eliminate legal duties. Cybersecurity failure and data breach claims may still proceed through AAA consumer arbitration or FINRA arbitration, depending on the account and governing agreement. Our firm regularly represents consumers in arbitration proceedings involving banks, brokerage firms, and cryptocurrency platforms following data breaches and account takeovers.
Plaintiff-Focused Cybersecurity Litigation
- MDF Law represents consumers only. We do not defend corporations, draft cybersecurity policies, or advise companies on compliance. Our practice is focused on representing individuals harmed by data breaches, cybersecurity failures, phishing scams, and account takeovers.
- We approach these cases with a focus on accountability, transparency, and recovery for affected consumers.
Nationwide Representation with New York and California Focus
- Cybersecurity failures and data breaches rarely affect only one state. Companies headquartered or regulated in New York and California often store consumer data nationwide, and arbitration clauses frequently require disputes to be resolved in national forums.
- We represent clients across the United States in matters involving cybersecurity failures, data breaches, phishing-related fraud, and account takeovers, with particular experience handling claims tied to institutions operating in New York and California.
Speak With a Cybersecurity Failure and Data Breach Attorney
- If you have been harmed by a data breach, cybersecurity failure, phishing scam, or account takeover, you do not have to navigate the process alone.
- MDF Law represents consumers in New York, California, and nationwide in matters involving cybersecurity failures, data breaches, and losses caused by third-party hackers and institutional security failures. Contact us to speak with an experienced cybersecurity and data breach attorney about your rights and potential options.
Our Recent Cases
Contact
- New York Office 28 Liberty Street New York, New York 10005
- California Office 1902 Wright Place, Suite 200 Carlsbad, CA 92008
- 800-767-8040