Talk Talk hack: Boy, 15, arrested in Northern Ireland

Shadowy: TalkTalk says it has been sent a note demanding a ransom after a cyber-hack of customers' details
Andrew Milligan/PA Wire
Ramzy Alwakeel27 October 2015
WEST END FINAL

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A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in Northern Ireland over last week's TalkTalk data theft, which saw details stolen for up to four million customers of the telecoms giant.

The teenager was taken into police custody in County Antrim by Met cyber crime officers and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Scotland Yard said. Detectives were tonight searching the boy’s address.

A Russian Islamist hacking group had claimed responsibility for the theft, while TalkTalk's chief exec Dido Harding said she had personally received a request for cash from someone purporting to be behind it.

Baroness Harding previously said the company had assumed a worst case scenario that all the personal data relating to its four million customers had been compromised until they could confirm exactly what was taken.

But the firm said data stolen in the attack would not allow criminals to plunder bank accounts, as complete credit card details were not stored in its system and account passwords were not accessed.

A TalkTalk spokesman said: “We know this has been a worrying time for customers and we are grateful for the swift response and hard work of the police. We will continue to assist with the ongoing investigation.”

Anyone who believes they have been directly affected the “theft” is asked to visit the firm's dedicated web page.

Meanwhile telecoms giant TalkTalk saw more than a tenth of its value wiped off in trading today, with MPs now set to launch an inquiry into the cyber attack.

Cyber security minister Ed Vaizey warned companies could face bigger fines for failing to protect customer.

Mr Vaizey said the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) can already levy “significant fines” but told SNP frontbench spokesman John Nicolson he was "open to suggestions” about how the situation could be “improved”.

TalkTalk is facing a maximum fine of £500,000 but Mr Nicolson described this is small and “clearly not terrifying” for a company with an annual revenue of £1.8 billion a year.

In an earlier development, the TalkTalk’s chief executive Dido Harding warned of a “cyber security arms race” threatening all UK companies as she revealed she called in defence experts over the hack of its website.

Dido Harding said she contacted BAE Systems, which supplies cyber security to government agencies.

She also warned any company in the UK could be vulnerable and said she still was unsure how many customers had been affected.

Baroness Harding told The Times: “This is a sort of cyber security arms race. Criminals are learning how to do things. One of the first calls I made on Wednesday was to BAE.”

Additional reporting by Press Association

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