Vodafone Gets Hacked

Yet another day and yet another data breach.

Telecom service provider Vodafone is the latest target of hackers hunting for personal and financial details.

The company admitted that hackers gained names, mobile telephone numbers, bank sort codes and the last four digits of bank accounts of 1,827 subscribers in a heist on Wednesday (Oct. 28) night using email IDs and passwords from an “unknown source.”

Vodafone argued that its systems were not compromised and said that its “security protocols were fundamentally effective.”

Although hackers did not get hold of credit and debit card numbers, Vodafone said that the obtained information exposes the affected customers to fraud and phishing attempts.

This news comes shortly after an attack on Vodafone’s rival, TalkTalk, a breach which is now suspected to have compromised the accounts of 1.2 million users (compared to initial reports of 4 million users potentially being impacted). Leaked data from that breach is believed to include: names, addresses, date of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, TalkTalk account information, credit card details and/or bank details, according to a company statement Thursday (Oct. 22).

In TalkTalk’s statement about the breach, TalkTalk CEO Dido Harding said, “TalkTalk constantly updates its systems to make sure they are as secure as possible against the rapidly evolving threat of cybercrime, impacting an increasing number of individuals and organizations. We take any threat to the security of our customers’ data extremely seriously, and we are taking all the necessary steps to understand what has happened here.”

Security software firm Trend Micro predicted that in 2016, we will see more such “destructive” attacks and the “Data that has already been lost will also be used to lay the groundwork for other attacks.” Unfortunately, Vodafone and TalkTalk have been among the latest to find themselves in hackers’ crosshairs.

To check out what else is HOT in the world of payments, click here.