TalkTalk has detailed precisely how many customers were affected by the recent cyberattack, and how much data was obtained.
Two weeks ago it emerged that UK broadband provider TalkTalk had been the subject of a major cyberattack, which had apparently compromised the personal data of a significant portion of its four million-strong customer base.
Several arrests have since been made, and TalkTalk has now issued an update on the precise nature of the attack.
TalkTalk has confirmed that the total number of customers whose personal details were accessed is 156,959. Of those customers affected, 15,656 had their bank account numbers and sort codes accessed.
Meanwhile, it’s been confirmed that the 28,000 obscured credit and debit card numbers that were accessed cannot be used for any financial transactions, and nor can they be used to identify the customers they belong to.
As this suggests, the scale of the attack was actually much smaller than was first feared, and TalkTalk says that “only 4% of TalkTalk customers have any sensitive personal data at risk.”
Related: TalkTalk hack: How to protect yourself
Despite this disparity, the company maintains that it felt a responsibility to notify customers of the attack prior to its investigation. It also reiterates that “the financial information accessed cannot on its own lead to financial loss.”
Still, the advice to customers is to remain vigilant, to be suspicious of any calls or emails that attempt to solicit information, and to keep an eye on your linked bank accounts.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.