TalkTalk CEO Recieved Ransom E-Mail Following Hack

Following last night’s cyber-attack on UK internet service provider TalkTalk, the company’s Chief Executive has revealed that she personally received a ransom e-mail, purportedly from the parties responsible.  CEO Dido Harding admits that she does not know if the e-mail is genuine, but it has been passed on to police and will form part of the investigation into the perpetrators.

“It is hard for me to give you very much detail, but yes, we have been contacted by, I don’t know whether it is an individual or a group, purporting to be the hacker,” Harding told the BBC. When asked if the ransomers wanted paying, she responded, “It is a live criminal investigation […] All I can say is that I had personally received a contact from someone purporting – as I say I don’t know whether they are or are not – to be the hacker looking for money.”

“I’m very sorry for all the frustration, worry and concern this will inevitably be causing all of our customers,” Harding added.

Adrian Culley, former Scotland Yard detective turned Cyber security consultant, told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 that a Russian Islamist group had taken responsibility for the attack.

In a statement, TalkTalk admitted that not all of the user data it stores had been encrypted, and could include:

• Names and addresses
• Dates of birth
• Email addresses
• Telephone numbers
• TalkTalk account information
• Credit card and bank details

Are you a TalkTalk customer? Are you concerned about your details failing into the wrong hands? And are you considering changing your ISP in the wake of this hack?

Image courtesy of TalkTalk