When organisations report a data breach, their first public statement often begins the same way:
“Only basic customer information was affected.”
It’s a phrase meant to reassure. Yet, for those whose data has been exposed, it rarely feels reassuring. Behind every breach is a person who suddenly loses control of something deeply personal: their identity, their privacy, their sense of safety. That loss can have consequences that go far beyond passwords and credit cards. Every time “only basic data” appears in a breach notification, it means the full picture hasn’t emerged yet.
The Silence That Follows
Under UK GDPR, organisations must report serious data breaches to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours and notify individuals “without undue delay.” But in practice, many victims are left waiting weeks, or even months, to find out their personal information has been compromised.
This delay is not just administrative – it’s emotional. It robs victims of agency at the very moment they most need it. The uncertainty that follows can lead to confusion, anxiety, and a deep sense of betrayal.
Recent incidents have shown how damaging this can be. The UK Ministry of Defence reportedly took months to notify affected personnel of a 2024 breach. In the United States, AT&T customers learned their details had been circulating from news articles online long before official confirmation. DISA Global Solutions, a major screening provider, discovered a breach in April 2024 but did not begin notifying affected individuals until February 2025.
For those impacted, these months of silence often feel like abandonment. Victims are left to discover the news through headlines or social media, rather than from the organisations that hold their trust and their data.
The Myth of ‘Basic’ Information
Many organisations seek to minimise alarm by describing stolen data as “basic.” Names, phone numbers, and email addresses are often portrayed as low-risk. But for cybercriminals, this information is gold dust.
Even partial data allows for sophisticated scams: phishing emails that look authentic, SIM-swap frauds that hijack phone numbers, and social engineering attacks that use genuine customer details to bypass security checks.
When these breaches are combined with data from other leaks, the mosaic of information builds an alarmingly complete picture of someone’s life. A date of birth here, a postcode there and suddenly, identity theft becomes child’s play.
In 2024, the Ticketmaster/Snowflake breach was initially described as a technical issue with a third-party provider. Yet hackers soon boasted of possessing terabytes of consumer data, including names, contact details, order histories, and payment metadata. Similarly, Southern Water customers were told that “only limited information” had been accessed – until further investigation revealed that the exposure included identifiers and financial records.
Each of these examples highlights a wider truth: “only basic data” is never basic in the hands of those who know how to exploit it.
Each of these examples highlights a wider truth: “only basic data” is never basic in the hands of those who know how to exploit it.
What It Actually Feels Like
The ICO’s 2024 report “The Ripple Effect” found that nearly a third of data breach victims experience genuine emotional distress. A quarter receive no support whatsoever from the organisation responsible. Many describe symptoms that mirror trauma responses: hypervigilance, sleep disturbance, loss of trust, even shame – despite being blameless.
For victims, the fallout of a data breach often feels like a form of psychological intrusion – an invisible hand rifling through the private corners of their lives. Research in Frontiers in Psychology confirms these aren’t isolated reactions—they’re trauma responses. Long-term anxiety, intrusive thoughts, fear of it happening again. In severe cases, the psychological toll can persist long after technical damage has been repaired.
The UK Supreme Court recently acknowledged this human impact explicitly and ruled that you don’t need a psychiatric diagnosis to claim compensation for data breach distress. The anxiety and emotional distress are enough. That ruling matters because it acknowledges these events genuinely hurt people and that organisations need to step up.
Living with the Uncertainty
Once a person’s data is exposed, the damage cannot be undone. Unlike a stolen bank card, personal data cannot simply be “cancelled.” Victims must live with the knowledge that fragments of their identity are now circulating in unseen spaces.
Many describe the experience as “a digital burglary.” The thief may be anonymous, the motive unknown, the intrusion invisible – but the sense of violation is unmistakable. Every strange email, every unexpected phone call becomes a potential threat. The boundary between the digital and psychological dissolves.
For individuals in sensitive professions – such as law enforcement, healthcare, or domestic abuse support, the fear is magnified. A single exposed address or phone number can have devastating personal implications.
Beyond Compliance – Rebuilding Trust
Data breaches are no longer just cybersecurity events- they are crisis events, with reputational, regulatory, and psychological dimensions. Organisations that focus solely on containment and compliance miss the human side of recovery.
The most effective responses today recognise that trust restoration is as important as technical remediation. That means:
- Notifying victims promptly – even if full details are still being verified. Tell them what you know and what you are investigating. Silence breeds panic.
- Using plain language – say what happened and describe what was taken—not with vague phrases like “limited data.”
- Offering real support – Credit monitoring, SIM-swap locks, wellbeing referrals and a dedicated helpline staffed by humans who can answer questions.
- Acknowledging emotional harm – avoid hiding behind legalistic statements in communications..
The Way Forward
Data breaches aren’t IT problems. They’re trust crises with real psychological consequences that happen to involve technology.
Victims of data breaches deserve transparency, empathy and support – not reassurances that “only basic data” was taken. Because when it’s your name, your family details, your private life in someone else’s hands—there is nothing basic about it.
At Cognitas Global, our work in crisis management and resilience training increasingly emphasises this human dimension. Whether responding to cyber incidents, physical crises, or reputational shocks, we advocate for a people-first approach- where communication, empathy, and psychological safety sit alongside technical defence.
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References
Information Commissioner’s Office (2024). The Ripple Effect: The Devastating Impact of Data Breaches.
Liang, D. et al. (2021). Emotional Reactions to Cybersecurity Breach Situations. Frontiers in Psychology.
UK Supreme Court (2025). XYZ v. DEF Ltd — Data breach distress claims.
Information Commissioner’s Office (2024). Impact of Personal Data Breaches on Victims.
The Guardian (2025). DNA Testing Firm 23andMe Fined £23m by UK Regulator for 2023 Data Hack.
The Record (2024). London Breach Raises Fears for Domestic Abuse Survivors.
ICO Enforcement (2025). DPP Law Fined £60,000 for Late Data Breach Notification.