Second Teenager Arrested In Connection With TalkTalk Hack

A second teenager has been arrested in connection with the cyber attack on TalkTalk last week that could have affected “millions” of customers.

The Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime United (MPCCU) arrested a 16-year-old boy at an address in Feltham, south west London, on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act.

Earlier in the week, a 15-year-old was arrested by police in Northern Ireland on suspicion of offences related to the same act. Police have also searched an address in Liverpool.

TalkTalk hack

It is still unclear who is responsible for the data breach, with TalkTalk confirming it had received ransom demands from those claiming to be the perpetrators.

The company has defended its security arrangements and has suggested initial inquiries show the scale of the attack is much less than originally feared, and told customers not enough information has been stolen for criminals to take money without resorting to phishing scams.

“The investigation is still ongoing but what I can tell you is that the findings so far show that the number of customers affected and the amount of data potentially stolen is smaller than we originally feared,” Harding told customers in a video.

“In fact, our website – our shop front if you like – was attacked, but our core systems are safe. We don’t store unencrypted credit card data on our website so any credit card data that has been stolen has the six middle digits blanked out and can’t be used for financial transactions.

“No MyAccount passwords have been stolen and no banking details have been taken that you wouldn’t already be sharing when you write a cheque or give to someone so they can pay money into your account.”

Harding did urge customers to remain vigilant for any fraudulent activity, be wary of any phishing scams and to take advantage of the free credit monitoring service TalkTalk has arranged with Noddle. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is also investigating.

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