In a major security lapse, TalkTalk has exposed the personal details of its 4,545 customers online. These customers are the ones whose data was compromised as a part of the company’s 2015 data breach. What happened? Some customers informed BBC Watchdog Live that their details had been breached by TalkTalk. Following this, the BBC consumer show investigated the matter. Upon investigation, it found that personal details of 4,545 customers were available online after a Google Search. The information is likely to have been online since the breach which affected nearly 157,000 customers. What data was involved? The data that was visible online included full names, addresses, email addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, TalkTalk customer numbers, and bank details. What the company has to say? When presented with the findings of the BBC investigation, TalkTalk said it was a ‘genuine error’ and that it has re-sent the apology letters to impacted customers. “A recent investigation has shown that 4,545 customers may have received the wrong notification regarding this incident. This was a genuine error and we have since written to all those impacted to apologize. 99.9% of customers received the correct notification in 2015. On their own, none of the details accessed in the 2015 incident could lead to any direct financial loss,” said the company, BBC reported. In addition, the company has also claimed of offering free credit monitoring services to protect the impacted individuals against fraud.
The BBC has reported that Watchdog failed to inform 157,000 customers that their personal details were compromised during a 2015 security breach. A recent investigation by the TalkTalk 's Watchdog team found the company may have incorrectly told them they were not impacted by the hack, which affected 4,545 TalkTalk customers. Reporters found customer data, including bank details and dates of birth, were accessible online. When confronted with the findings, , TalkTalk said it was a genuine error and that it had contacted the customers, apologised and offered them free credit monitoring services.