Retailer Dixons Carphone has revealed a major breach of data affecting 5.9 million customers. The group said that it notified the relevant authorities after discovering the breach, including the police and ICO, and that it had no evidence to date of any fraudulent use of data as a result of the incidents. CEO Alex Baldock apologised for the breach and said that added security measures have been added to systems.
The ongoing investigation shows an attempt to compromise the 5.9 million cards stored in one of the processing systems of Currys PC World and Dixons Travel stores. Of these cards, 5.8 million have chip & pin protection. However, 105,000 non-EU issued payment cards without chip & pin protection have been compromised. The investigation also found that 1.2 million records with non-financial personal data, such as names, addresses and e-mail addresses, have been accessed. Dixons said there was no evidence that this data had left its systems or had resulted in any fraudulent activity at this time.
In response, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said that it was liaising with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and other relevant agencies to determine the details of the breach and impact on customers. The NCSC has provided guidance for customers of Dixons Carphone following the breach, and advises anyone concerned about lost data or fraud to contact Action Fraud.
