Mar 5, 2020
Virgin Media data breach affects 900,000 people
A Virgin Media database containing the personal details of 900,000 people was left unsecured and accessible online for 10 months, the company has admitted. The breach was not due to a hack or a criminal attack, but because the database had been "Incorrectly configured" by a member of staff not following the correct procedures, Virgin Media said. The company said almost all of those affected were Virgin customers with television or fixed-line telephone accounts, although the database also included some Virgin Mobile customers as well as potential customers referred by friends as part of a promotion. "Based upon our investigation, Virgin Media does believe that the database was accessed on at least one occasion but we do not know the extent of the access or if any information was actually used," Mr Schuler said. There have been dozens of examples of this lately, including just this week a database of the personal details of people using train station wi-fi around the UK. Virgin Media has apologised and really, there's very little practical advice to offer in the light of this kind of breach, beyond the usual protocol of staying alert to any messages requesting personal information or access to any kind of finance.
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