[Techonomics] Carphone Warehouse customer data breach

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Carphone Warehouse customer data breach investigated
Source: BBC News.

The UK's data watchdog is "making enquiries" after Carphone Warehouse said the personal details of up to 2.4 million of its customers may have been accessed in a cyber-attack.

The attack was discovered on Wednesday, and made public on Saturday.

The encrypted credit card details of up to 90,000 people may have been accessed, the mobile phone firm said.

The Information Commissioner's Office, which examines data breaches, confirmed it was aware of the incident.

Carphone Warehouse says the data could include names, addresses, dates of birth and bank details and it is contacting all those affected.

Carphone Warehouse said the "sophisticated" cyber-attack, which happened in the past two weeks, was stopped "straight away" after it was discovered on Wednesday afternoon.

The affected division of the company operates the websites OneStopPhoneShop.com, e2save.com and Mobiles.co.uk, and provides services to iD Mobile, TalkTalk Mobile, Talk Mobile and some Carphone Warehouse customers.

The retailer's owner, Dixons Carphone, has apologised for the attack and said additional security measures have been brought in. It has also taken the affected websites down.

What can those affected do?

- Notify your bank and credit card company, so they can monitor activity on your account
- Change your password for your online account
- Check your account for any suspicious or unexpected activity
- Be wary of anyone calling asking for personal information, bank details or passwords
- Visit Experian, Equifax or Noddle to check your credit rating to make sure no one has applied for credit in your name.