5th Oct 2016 13:03
LONDON (Alliance News) - The Information Commissioner's Office on Wednesday issued a GBP400,000 fine to telecoms provider TalkTalk Telecom Group PLC for failing to prevent a cyber attack last October.
The independent regulatory office said its in-depth investigation found that the attack could have been prevented if TalkTalk had taken basic steps to protect its customer's information.
TalkTalk was hit by a cyber attack between October 15 and 21, 2015, when the attacker accessed the personal data of 156,959 customers, including the bank account details and sort codes of 15,656 customers.
"TalkTalk's failure to implement the most basic cyber security measures allowed hackers to penetrate TalkTalk's systems with ease. Yes hacking is wrong, but that is not an excuse for companies to abdicate their security obligations. TalkTalk should and could have done more to safeguard its customer information. It did not and we have taken action," said Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham.
The ICO noted that TalkTalk had failed to properly scan infrastructure it acquired with Tiscali's UK operations in 2009, and the attack has been conducted through three vulnerable webpages in this infrastructure.
"In spite of its expertise and resources, when it came to the basic principles of cyber-security, TalkTalk was found wanting. Today's record fine acts as a warning to others that cyber security is not an IT issue, it is a boardroom issue. Companies must be diligent and vigilant. They must do this not only because they have a duty under law, but because they have a duty to their customers," Denham added.
Shares in TalkTalk were up 0.5% at 210.40 pence Wednesday afternoon.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; [email protected]; @HanaSSAllNews
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