Telecommunications company Vodafone has reported a large hacking incident, which has affected close to 2,000 Vodafone customers. The cyberattack is the second one for telecommunications companies in the United Kingdom this month. The company said that while thousands have been affected, important banking details have not been accessed by the hackers.
A report from Digital Asia One said that the hackers have been able to access data of 1, 827 customers. Information accessed include personal details such as date of birth, name, mobile number and possibly the last four digits of the customers' bank accounts. The cyberattack happened on Thursday, Oct. 29, in the morning.
A Vodafone spokesperson said that the hackers have been able to access the information from an "unknown source external to Vodafone". Only a handful of customers have observed possible attempts to exploit their personal information. Vodafone said that the company is already contacting all affected customers. "Our investigation and mitigating actions have meant that only a handful of customers have been subject to any attempts to use this data for fraudulent activity on their Vodafone accounts," the company said.
"No credit or debit card numbers or details were obtained. However, this information does leave these 1,827 customers open to fraud and might also leave them open to phishing attempts," the Vodafone spokesperson added. The company also said that the customers need not be concerned about the incident as it is taking measures to get the situation under control.
Last week, British telecommunications company TalkTalk has also reported a hacking incident which exposed less than 21,000 bank account numbers and sort codes. A teenage suspect has been taken under police custody in relation to the cyberattack, but has been released on bail the following day. Investigation on the incident is ongoing, according to TalkTalk, which has begun working with authorities on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
