England, UK – TalkTalk one of the leading and biggest phone providers in the UK has been hacked again. The company has reported that, in the beginning of this week private information such as names, addresses, dates of birth, personal phone numbers and, most importantly, credit card and bank details of its four million customers have been leaked. It is believed this stolen material was not all encrypted.
“We take any threat to the security of our customers’ data extremely seriously and we are taking all the necessary steps to understand what has happened here” Dido Harding, CEO of TalkTalk, alleged in a statement, as reported by CNBC.
The corporation also provides services like broadband, TV and Internet but unfortunately for its customers, this is the third time it has been hacked. During previous hackings in February, just a few thousand customer accounts were stolen.
Similarly, information was also stolen from TalkTalk parent company, Carphone Warehouse, which affected about a half million of TalkTalk’s clients. It is unfortunate but true that Cyber criminals are improving their strategies in efforts to take private information from companies online.
The Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime Unit has started a criminal search to discover who hacked into the company. The ransom demand that was received on Wednesday may be the first clue to lead investigators. “We were contacted by someone claiming to be responsible and they are seeking payment,” a TalkTalk spokesperson told CNBC by phone.
Nevertheless, no arrests have been made regarding this event. The company’s officials said they are taking necessary actions to protect data. TalkTalk’s site was even taken offline after the attack.
This event may have a huge impact on the company’s reputation. TalkTalk has got a new challenge on their hands: reassure its customers that their security has improved and will be enough to battle any future attacks.
Source: CNN Philippines