Thousands of Afghans are poised to sue the Ministry of Defence after details of a mass data leak finally came to light this week.
Almost 20,000 names of people who had applied to seek shelter from the Taliban in Britain had their names leaked by a MoD official.
The data breach was covered up for years before finally seeing the light of day this week.
Some people on the list only discovered their details had been made public after a highly controversial super-injunction was thrown out on Tuesday.
Now, 900 Afghans are set to receive legal support - and their lawyers have claimed thousands more could join them.
Adnan Malik, at Manchester firm Barings Law - representing nearly 900 alone - said: "The victims have been exposed to not just financial harm, but the real threat of violence and death.
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|Some 20,000 people who had applied to seek shelter from the Taliban in Britain had their names leaked by a MoD official
"In some cases, these threats have been tragically carried out.
"Monies claimed will vary substantially between claimants, we would expect sums upwards of five figures for each person affected," Malik told The Sun.
If all 20,000 - plus dependants, bringing the number to near 100,000 - successfully sued the MoD, the Armed Forces could be forced to shell out as much as £1billion.
William Yarwood, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, has poured scorn on the figures as a result.
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PA
|'We would expect sums upwards of five figures for each person affected,' the Afghans' lawyer beamed
He told GB News: "The cost of this scandal is off the charts.
"Taxpayers are being landed with a billion-pound bill thanks to staggering incompetence and zero accountability at the heart of the MoD.
"Those who allowed this cover-up to happen should hang their heads in shame."
But the MoD has dismissed the prospect of a 10-figure compensation fee as "pure speculation".
"The Government inherited a deeply complex situation and since taking office, have taken appropriate action in line with the level of risk these individuals faced," a spokesman said.
"We will do everything possible to defend against any compensation claims and any we do get, we will fight them hard."
PA
|'We will do everything possible to defend against any compensation claims and any we do get, we will fight them hard,' John Healey's MoD said
The resettlement scheme for Afghans affected by the list has been in place since April last year.
But even before the scheme got off the ground, officials were unsure whether Taliban fighters had access to the names on the breach.
That was one of the reasons for extending the superinjunction.
However, one Taliban official has since said: "We got the list from the internet during the first days when it was leaked.
"A special unit has been launched to find them and make sure they do not work with Britain.
"We've been calling and visiting their family members to track them down."