The firm
ACS:Law, the infamous law firm which has been sending out dubious letters threatening to take people to court for file sharing, has had a massive database of its emails leaked onto the web.
The leak
The ACS:Law web site was taken down by a denial of service (DDoS) attack earlier in the week.Someone discovered that before the site was restored a backup file containing the emails had been left in an open directory. Inevitably this was downloaded and widely distributed on file sharing networks(torrent network file sharing).
The collection includes the incoming and outgoing emails of Andrew Crossley and his employees, complete with attachments, and contains masses of information about how ACS:Law goes about its business and how much money it makes, plus embarrassing personal details.
The content
The leak reveals Crossley discussing how he might buy a Ferrari (he decides on a less impressive Jeep in the end) and talk about how the company can most efficiently track and record the thousands of alleged offenders, with an amusing exchange where he thinks two people can process 200 cases a day and is politely informed by an employee that they would have to work without breaks to achieve this target.
There are abusive emails to his ex-wife, personal contact details, passwords to Paypal and other sites, and it also appears that Crossley is a fan of loopy conspiracy theorist David Icke. Perhaps those inter-dimensional lizards are also guilty of file sharing?
More seriously there is discussion about how they could “scare” people into paying by pursuing them directly, and allegedly an email with attached file containing the names and addresses of thousands of Sky broadband users (plus the names of pornographic movies they’re supposed to have downloaded) which if true constitutes a serious breach of the data protection act.
All data (365Mo file large) available here
Whole story available here
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Sky Broadband Customers Furious Over Data Leak
Law firm investigating illegal downloading leaks thousands of broadband customers’ personal details online.
“”ACS:Law – case history ACS:Law is best known for its campaign of writing letters to people it suspects of illegally downloading fi les from the web. The letters usually ask the recipient to agree to an out-of-court settlement or face action in the civil courts. The campaign has been widely criticized by consumer groups such as Which? And Andrew Crossley, the main partner ACS:Law, has been summoned to appear before the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) disciplinary tribunal to answer allegations that the approach is tantamount to bullying. Law firms Davenport Lyons and Gallant Macmillan have also used similar campaigns in the pa””
Sky Broadband customers have reacted furiously to revelations that their personal details may have leaked onto the web after a security lapse at a law firm.
ACS:Law, the company behind a controversial letter-writing campaign to people suspected of sharing fi les illegally, accidentally exposed details of thousands of Sky’s customers after failing to secure its website properly.
ACS:Law had obtained the details of 13,000 customers after using a court order to force Sky to hand over the names of people it suspected of illegally downloading pornography or music. Since the leak, Sky has said that it will refuse to co-operate with any further requests from ACS:Law.