Companies House Data Breach Exposes Directors' Details

United Kingdom===Companies House, the UK's official corporate register, temporarily shut down its online filing service due to a technical flaw that exposed sensitive personal details of company directors, including residential addresses, email addresses, and full dates of birth. The bug also created a risk of malicious users amending company records or uploading fraudulent accounts. The vulnerability was discovered by John Hewitt of Ghost Mail and subsequently reported to United Kingdom===Companies House by Dan Neidle of Dan Neidle. The incident affects over 5 million businesses, including major FTSE 100 firms like AstraZeneca, Tesco, and Shell plc, whose directors' data could have been compromised. Business groups, such as the Federation of Small Businesses, have expressed alarm, calling it a 'shocking breach' that could erode trust and prompt questions about the value of fees paid to United Kingdom===Companies House. The event marks another challenge for United Kingdom===Companies House, which recently gained new powers to improve data accuracy and combat misuse of the register.