10M DIXONS CARPHONE CUSTOMERS HACKED IN MAJOR DATA BREACH

01 August 2018

This year in June, Dixons Carphone announced that a major data breach had occurred, estimating that 1.2 million customers were affected by the hack. This number has now risen to 10 million customers’ who may have had their personal information hacked, including their names, addresses, and email addresses.

Dixons Carphone announced that no bank details were taken, however, 5.9 million payment cards were accessed, although the majority were protected by chip and pin.   

The company has expressed regret for any distress caused by the hack, stating they would be apologising to the customers affected in due time. Dixons Carphone chief executive, Alex Baldock advised that they are working with the top cyber security experts, in order to improve security measures, which has involved:

“closing off the unauthorised access, adding new security measures and launching an immediate investigation”.

A representative from the consumer lobby group Which? stated that customers affected by this major data breach

“Will be asking why it has taken so long for the company to uncover the extent of its security failure.”

"Anyone concerned they could be at risk of fraud should consider changing their online passwords, monitor bank and other online accounts and be wary of emails regarding the breach as scammers may try and take advantage of it."

The National Crime Agency have been looking in to the hack, alongside the Financial Conduct Authority, the National Cyber Security Centre, and the Information Commissioner’s Office, who have urged Dixons Carphone

“to alert all those affected in the UK as soon as possible and to take all steps necessary to reduce any potential harm to consumers”.

Dixons Carphone are not the only company this year to have experienced such a major data hack, and with the introduction of GDPR, many organisations are reviewing their IT systems and enhancing security measures, in order to avoid damning data breaches.

If you require assistance with a data breach claim or your organisation requires support with data breaches or cyber attacks, please contact us at https://www.threegraceslegal.co.uk/contact or telephone 0151 659 1070.