Virgin Media announced on March 6th 2020 that up to 900,000 customers personal details have been compromised due to a Virgin Media data breach. The marketing database in question had been left accessible from April 2019 until now March 2020, when the error was noticed by a researcher from security firm TurgenSec.
Virgin Media has issued an email to any affected customers of the Virgin Media data breach in which they confirm that no passwords or financial details were on the database. Unfortunately, email addresses, phone numbers and home addresses were, and in a small number of cases, dates of birth. The database is said to have been ‘incorrectly configured’ and that the breach is not due to a cyberattack. There is one known instance of unauthorised access, but the extent of the access is not yet fully known.
Some customers may find that they are at an increased risk of phishing attacks, cold callers and possibly identity theft.
An apology has been issued by Virgin Media along with reassurances that "protecting our customers is a top priority". They have also informed the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) about the infringement.
If you have additional questions and would like to speak to someone, you can call 0800 052 2621.
To better your security, you can do one or more of the following:
Change passwords and use at least 8 letters, with a mix of upper and lower case and special characters such as !*~#
Consider using a password manager that helps choose random passwords and stores them for you. Having a Notty account will provide you with Cybercare and a password manager.
Install antivirus software to all devices.
Be aware of the authenticity of emails. If you can't tell where it has come from, don’t open it.
Don’t follow a suspicious link within an email. Either open your browser and enter any requested details separately or email the company the email states it is from and ask for clarification.
Never give your passwords or banking details out in a link in an email.
Don’t use public wifi when using personal details in any form.
Password or ‘biometric’ (fingerprint/facial ID) protect your devices.
With your Notty Account, you receive a 50% discount on McAfee protection and Cybercare, which includes password protection Notty also carries out dark web searches to see if your details are on the dark web. Don’t leave it to chance and sign up today!
