Albert data leak in Czechia: what to do if hackers stole your data

If your personal data ended up online after a hacker attack on the Albert chain or another service, the Czech Office for Personal Data Protection advises going to the police, especially when copies of identity documents have leaked. Such data can be used for identity theft.

As office spokesman Josef Štipský said, when personal data leaks, its misuse cannot be ruled out. The fear that someone will take over another person’s identity is, in the authority’s view, the main reason to go to the police. This is relevant above all when the leaked data includes copies of identity documents or other details that identify a person unambiguously. In such cases it is also worth considering getting a new document.

The risks were also highlighted by the recent case involving customers of the financial platform Revolut, which affected users in Czechia too. The company said that, because of fraud, an outsider gained access to part of its customer data. Since identity is verified with an ID card or passport when signing up for the service, customers feared these documents could be used for harm.

There is also an unpleasant catch: the office has no power to stop the further spread of leaked data or to determine whether specific information was actually misused because of a particular incident. “Essentially, it is impossible to trace whether the data being misused comes from the reported security incident,” Štipský stressed.

If an affected customer believes they have suffered harm, they can seek compensation through a civil court. Asked whether large companies protect the data of millions of customers well enough, the office answered rather cautiously: in its experience, big firms generally do not underestimate security. They monitor data protection closely, respond flexibly to new threats and even hire ethical hackers — specialists who, with the company’s consent, try to break its defenses and find weak spots before cybercriminals do.

Still, rising investment in security does not guarantee immunity. A string of recent leaks and cyberattacks shows that even a company with modern protection can become the target of a successful attack.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz