Dixons hit by cyber attack
Hackers access customers’ details
THE owner of Dixons and Currys has been left facing serious questions after millions of customers’ details were hacked in its second cyber attack in three years.
Experts warned high street giant Dixons Carphone could face heavy fines and legal action after admitting a huge data breach involving nearly six million payment cards and 1.2 million personal records.
It comes after its Carphone Warehouse arm was targeted in 2015 when cyber hackers gained access to information about more than three million customers and 1,000 employees.
It was subsequently fined £400,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The ICO, the police and the Financial Conduct Authority have been alerted about the latest breach.
Boss Alex Baldock said: “We are extremely disappointed and sorry for any upset this may cause.
“The protection of our data has to be at the heart of our business and we’ve fallen short here.”
The firm said crooks attempted to steal information on 5.9 million payment cards from its Currys PC World and Dixons Travel chains. It insisted there was “no evidence of any fraud on these cards as a result of this incident”. Hackers also accessed names and email and home addresses for 1.2million customers, but Carphone said it appeared the information hadn’t been stolen.
The breach is a huge embarrassment for the company which is a major seller of virus protection and other cyber security software.
Carphone’s share price dived 2.7% yesterday.
A spokesman for the ICO said it was liaising with the National Cyber Security Centre and other bodies to establish the impact of the incident.
He added: “Anyone concerned about lost data and how it may be used should follow the advice of Action Fraud.”
The latest data breach began before new European General Data Protection Regulation rules came into force on May 25.
Sean Humber, of law firm Leigh Day, said: “Those affected are likely to have claims for compensation not only for any financial losses but also for the anxiety and distress caused by the breach.”