Talk Talk boss Dido Harding has revealed she has recruited BAE Systems to provide cyber security services to the telecoms giant following the recent data breach.

Earlier this month, TalkTalk experienced a “significant and sustained cyber-attack”, during which personal and banking details of up to four million customers is thought to have been accessed. TalkTalk stated they had received a ransom demand from a group claiming to be responsible. Some customers complained that they were targeted by criminals before TalkTalk disclosed the cyber-attack, and the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee said “Suggestions that TalkTalk has covered up both the scale and duration of this attack must be thoroughly investigated.”

Dido Harding said:

“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.

Do I wish I had done more? Of course I do. But would that have made a difference? If I’m honest I don’t know.

This is happening to a huge number of organisations all the time. The awful truth is that every company, every organisation in the UK needs to spend more money and put more focus on cyber security – it’s the crime of our era.”

Scotland Yard is investigating alongside the National Crime Agency.
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George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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jon livesey
jon livesey
8 years ago

Well, it’s a threat and an opportunity. If UK based web-sites are never under attack, then the skills to detect and deflect attacks don’t get developed. The Government estimates that UK cyber security exports rose 15% last year, from L1.3bn to L1.5bn.

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