Vocal Voices

News is coming out of a major cyber attack on TalkTalk (my ISP).

Information is here: http://help2.talktalk.co.uk/oct22incident

If you are a TalkTalk broadband/phone customer please read the dos and don'ts.

Ooh I'm glad we changed now!

I am with them

Thanks for the heads-up Frank, it's all over the news this morning :O

Molly, I hope your details will be safe, it seems the advice is to immediately change passwords (as soon as the website is back up as of course it is down right now) and then to also change passwords on other sites, if you use the same ones there! xxxxx

I am with TT and am in the process of changing passwords both on TT and my bank and credit cards.

Gosh me too!! How can you change p/w when the site is down (probs for security reasons?)

Looking at it sensibly known breaches are:

Names and addresses
Dates of birth
Email addresses
Telephone numbers
TalkTalk account information
Credit card and bank details

Apart from your TT account and CC and Bank details we give the rest out all the time in all sorts of places.

With TT all that can be done is for the hacker to add or delete services from your account... and for those TT will be liable.

CC and bank details.

Your CC name, issue and expiry date and card number could be discovered, but again you give those out to all sorts of traders. However, your three digit security code and PIN will not be available. A check with your card issuer, they should confirm that - mine has already confirmed they are secure.

Your bank sort code and account number could also be discovered, but not your password. If in doubt contact your bank direct by phone or a personal visit and make any changes that way; try to avoid doing it online.

Other passwords, for Twitbook and the likes, are not worth the worry.

The main concern, from my POV, is that the totality of the info taken could be used to clone a person's identity, especially if it then is used on sites with lax security - again, not your problem.

Just keep an eye on things for a while. Moving from TT to another ISP will not make you any more secure.

And also, I guess, be on high alert for any unsolicited phone calls or emails over the next few months ......

I second that.

Well it seems the initial worry isn't as bad as it could be....is everyone else making use of the credit monitoring company? I've not heard of them before and not sure I want to be giving out email details unnecessarily....