TalkTalk hacked

Police are investigating a "significant" cyber-attack on Wednesday October 21which may have led to customers' credit card and bank details being compromised.

TalkTalk said that names, addresses, dates of birth, email addresses, telephone numbers, TalkTalk account information, and credit card and bank details may have been accessed in the attack.

At the time of publishing, TalkTalk customers were still unable to access the account section of the website. What's most worrying, however, is that TalkTalk says that "not all of the data was encrypted", potentially making it easier for intruders to access.

TalkTalk has confirmed that it received a ransom note from somebody claiming to be responsible for the attack. TalkTalk's chief executive Dido Harding told the BBC: "I 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."

Reports suggest that it is possible that the information would be sold off on the dark web, a part of the World Wide Web that requires special software of authorisation to access. If bank details have been stolen, the value of the information, he said, would depend on a number of factors.

What you need to know

As always I suggest that you immediately change your banking and online passwords. I know that I keep saying this but it is important that you have different passwords for online accounts.

It is a good idea that you monitor your bank accounts for any signs that fraudulent activity that may have taken place. TalkTalk have suggests checking your credit report.

If you use the Money Saving Expert website http://ow.ly/TLvSq you can check your credit status. It was once felt that if you were continually checking your own credit status you could compromise your score but this is not the case and you can see more about this here http://ow.ly/TLxDX

If you feel that there is a problem then contact both your bank and national fraud reporting centre Action Fraud, which can be reached on 0300 123 2040.

To make any changes to your TalkTalk account, you are advised to phone TalkTalk on 0800 083 2710 or 0141 230 0707.

I have a family who were contacted by someone claiming to be from Talk so please be cautious with any emails or calls you receive from anybody claiming to be from the company. If people have access to your personal information, it will be easier for them to craft a convincing fraud email.

Do everything possible to verify the legitimacy of the person, including ensuring the email is from a legitimate @talktalk.co.uk address. In particular don’t follow any links from any email claiming to be from TalkTalk, if you are concerned create your own e-mail.