Vodafone admits hackers gained access to almost 2,000 customer accounts

Vodafone admitted Saturday that hackers gained access to almost 2,000 accounts that belong to its customers.

The Guardian reported that a total of 1,827 Vodafone accounts were hacked, which means the criminals could have gained vital information that include names, bank codes, mobile numbers, and even the last four digits of these customers' accounts. This is the second time the British telecoms company was attacked by cyber criminals.

In a report from Stuff, according to a Vodafone spokesman, "This incident was driven by criminals using email addresses and passwords acquired from an unknown source external to Vodafone."

So far, only a handful of the affected customers had seen attempts of fraudulent use on their data since their accounts were hacked.

The spokesman said, "No credit or debit card numbers or details were obtained. However, this information does leave these 1,827 customers open to fraud and might also leave them open to phishing attempts."

Herald Recorder writes that the cyber attack was done on Wednesday on a small number of customers. According to reports, the hackers got passwords and email addresses from an unknown source, which they used to gain access to the Vodafone accounts. Just before the British telecoms company was attacked, its rival company, TalkTalk, was also targeted by a high profile cyber attack. TalkTalk could lose up to 1.2 million worth of names, email addresses, and phone numbers. The broadband, TV, and mobile service provider said the attack could put the vital information of its 4 million customers in danger.

Meanwhile, the Vodafone's spokesperson said it is now contacting all the customers involved and it has been giving warnings for other customers. Vodafone has started investigating the crime. It has also informed the National Crime Agency, Ofcom, as well as the Information Commissioner's Office on the attack. Vodafone had contacted the banks of the customers who were affected to give them a heads up on possible fraudulent activities.