News
U.K. information watchdog says telco could have done more to protect customers’ data.
TalkTalk on Wednesday was slapped with a record £400,000 fine by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for failings that led to last year’s cyber hack.
An investigation by the U.K. data watchdog found that the attacker exploited technical weaknesses in TalkTalk’s systems, weaknesses that the telco could have addressed, but failed to.
"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, in a statement.
"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," she added.
TalkTalk fell victim to what it called a significant and sustained cyberattack in October 2015. Initially it was thought that the names, addresses, date of birth, contact details, account information and bank information of all 4 million of its customers were potentially accessed.
It later emerged that 156,959 customers had been compromised, 15,656 of whom had their bank account numbers and sort codes accessed, while 28,000 partial credit or debit card numbers were also accessed.
TalkTalk said it is disappointed with the ICO’s decision to fine it.
"During a year in which government data showed nine in 10 large U.K. businesses were successfully breached, the TalkTalk attack was notable for our decision to be open and honest with our customers from the outset. This gave them the best chance of protecting themselves and we remain firm that this was the right approach for them and for our business," the telco said in a statement.
Nonetheless, TalkTalk said it respects "the important role the ICO plays in upholding the privacy of consumers."
