Related News
Hacker steals data of 2 million telco customers
Print Edition
Mobile phone operator Vodafone Germany said yesterday a hacker had stolen the personal data of 2 million customers and a suspect had been identified.
“This attack could only be carried out with high criminal intent and insider knowledge and was launched deep inside the IT infrastructure of the company,” Vodafone Deutschland said.
The stolen data included customers’ names, gender, birthdates and addresses as well as their bank account and branch numbers, but not their mobile phone numbers, passwords, PIN numbers or credit card details, it said.
This meant the cyber-criminal netted insufficient data to access clients’ bank accounts, said the company, a subsidiary of the British telecom provider of the same name.
It warned however of the risk of so-called “phishing” attacks in which fake e-mails try to trick customers into revealing their passwords.
There was also a risk such data could be used by criminals to make online purchases, a spokesperson said, adding victims would however have recourse to legal protection.
“Vodafone deeply regrets the incident and apologizes to all those affected,” the company added.
Only mobile phone customers within Germany had been affected and would be contacted by mail.
Vodafone Germany said it had discovered the attack a week ago, stopped it and reported it to authorities but had initially been asked not to make it public so as not to endanger a police investigation.
“They have now identified a suspect and searched his home,” the company said.
“In coordination with the authorities, Vodafone Germany is now fully informing all affected persons and supporting them in avoiding possible adverse effects.”
National news agency DPA reported, without citing sources, the suspect was not a Vodafone employee but had worked for a contractor of the Duesseldorf-based company.
Vodafone has more than 32 million mobile phone subscribers in Germany, the second most after Telekom.
Germans, with their nation’s history of secret police surveillance under the Nazi and communist East German governments, are sensitive to privacy and data protection.
The scandal around online snooping by the US National Security Agency and its British counterpart revealed by fugitive former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden sparked particular disquiet in Germany.
The German police union responded to the attack on Vodafone with a statement alerting citizens to be especially mindful of the threat of cyberattacks through phishing and other online scams.
“The data thieves exploit careless users,” it warned. “When they are successful, the damage for the victims can be immense.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
