The penalization has been imposed past times the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) over the high-profile cyber attack occurred inwards the society final October, which allowed hackers to bag the personal information of its 156,959 customers "with ease."
The ICO hacked data of 156,959 customers included sum names, postal addresses, dates of birth, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses together with TalkTalk accounts information. The hacker likewise had fifty-fifty access to banking concern trouble organisation human relationship details together with form codes inwards virtually 16,000 cases.
"When it came to the basic principles of cyber-security, TalkTalk was flora wanting," Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said.
"Today's tape fine acts every bit a alarm to others that cyber safety is non an information technology issue, it is a boardroom issue. Companies must survive diligent together with vigilant. They must create this non solely because they receive got a duty nether the law, only because they receive got a duty to their customers."The regulator likewise revealed that the targeted database software, which held details of customers inherited from the 2009 takeover of a competitor Tiscali Great Britain operations, was out of engagement together with affected past times an easily-patchable vulnerability.
As a result, the hackers attacked 3 vulnerable spider web pages using a well-known hacking technique called SQL injection together with got concur of the customers' data.
TalkTalk has been attacked several times final year. Before the Oct cyber attack, the company's organisation had been breached twice — start inwards July together with and thence inwards September 2015. But the telecom did non larn anything from its past times mistakes.
"Yes, hacking is wrong, only that is non an excuse for companies to abdicate their safety obligations," the watchdog said. "TalkTalk should together with could receive got done to a greater extent than to safeguard its client information. It did not, together with nosotros receive got taken action."In answer to the ICO's decision, TalkTalk has said that it is disappointed amongst the fine imposed past times the ICO, only it volition gladly hang its caput inwards shame.
The society released the next statement:
"During a twelvemonth inwards which authorities information showed ix inwards 10 large Great Britain businesses were successfully breached, the TalkTalk fix on was notable for our determination to survive opened upwards together with honest amongst our customers from the outset. This gave them the best jeopardy of protecting themselves together with nosotros rest trouble solid that this was the correct approach for them together with our business."
"As the illustration remains the discipline of an ongoing criminal prosecution, nosotros cannot comment farther at this time."The investigation of the information theft is yet ongoing.
Arrests Over TalkTalk Hack:
Few days later the attack, a 15-year-old boy from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, was arrested inwards connector amongst the TalkTalk Data Breach.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 minute arrest was made inside the calendar week when the Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime Unit (MPCCU) arrested a 16-year-old boy from Feltham inwards W London.
Another arrest was made on Nov final twelvemonth when police arrested a 16-year-old boy from London inwards connector amongst the hack.
An investigation past times the Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime Unit has been running separately to the ICO’s investigation.
