If you haven’t learned yet, you need to make your password difficult to guess! 1234, 1111, and 0000 will not cut it. Hacking lawsuits against first The News of the World, and then the Daily Mirror and associated publications have made voicemail hacking a well known concept. Mirror Group Newspapers, MGN, is said to have over £8 million set aside to help pay the lawsuits against them. The hacking appears to have been possible because the victims used simple passwords.
Singer Cilla Black is among celebrities to have settled phone-hacking claims for “substantial” damages, the High Court has been told. Her son Robert Willis, actor Darren Day, EastEnders star Jessie Wallace and singer Peter Andre also settled claims, all against Mirror Group Newspapers. Their barrister David Sherborne said their privacy was “grossly violated” by the newspapers, “solely for profit”. MGN counsel Matthew Nicklin QC offered “sincere apologies” on its behalf.
The hacking was alleged to have taken place between 2000 and 2006.
British singing star Cilla Black is among celebrities to have settled claims for damages with Trinity Mirro
Mr Sherborne read out statements on behalf of Ms Black, her son and manager Mr Willis, Mr Andre, Mr Day and Ms Wallace as well as for a further five people whose settlements have previously been reported. They are the former head coach of the England football team, Sven-Goran Eriksson, actor Christopher Eccleston, David and Victoria Beckham’s former nanny Abbie Gibson, actor Shane Richie’s wife Christie Roche and his friend and agent Phil Dale.
He said: “In summary, these 10 individuals all bring claims that cover unlawful activity by each of the three newspaper titles
Mr Nicklin said that MGN “accepts that the methods which were used to obtain private information about these 10 individuals through the unlawful accessing of their voicemails and the obtaining of their personal information should never have been employed” and that there was “no legitimate justification” for doing so.
He added: “MGN is here today, through me, to offer its sincere apologies to these claimants for the damage and distress caused to them by hacking into their voicemail messages and by obtaining private information about them, including the use of blagging.”
Mr Nicklin said that MGN was paying “substantial sums by way of damages and their reasonable costs”. No damages figures were announced as part of the statements read to the court.
Computer security blogger Graham Cluley (www.grahamcluley.com) offer some insight into the issue from a post from last September: