Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Vodafone fires employees in wake of security breach

Security review underway and new measures already in place chief executive, Nigel Dews, says

Vodafone has terminated a number of employees in the wake of its investigation into the alleged leaking of customer data at the weekend week. The telco has also confirmed NSW Police is investigating the issue.

Vodafone said in a statement that it had also undertaken a review of IT systems security, processes and training, and had implemented a number of new security measures.

“Security can always be improved and the additional measures being implemented as a result of our review will increase security and further limit the risk of people doing the wrong thing,” the telco’s chief executive, Nigel Dews, said in a statement.

“Some of the initiatives we had already planned for this year are being brought forward and we will also be conducting an additional independent security review.”

The company also stressed that its customer records were not publicly available or stored on the internet and credit card details held in their database were protected.

Dews’ comments follow the sending of an email to customers, which sought to reassure subscribers that information, including credit card details, remained encrypted and secure.

"We are conducting a full investigation into the alleged incident and as a priority, can assure you that your information is not publicly available on the internet and your personal credit card details are encrypted, secure and cannot be viewed by store staff," Vodafone's director of customer service and experience, Cormac Hodgkinson, said in the email.

The "alleged incident" came to light this week when media reports claimed Vodafone customer data had been leaked and was publicly available over the internet.

Among the allegations was Vodafone staff were being bribed into providing customer information, including credit card details, to people outside the organisation.

Industry pundits have this week labelled the privacy breach a lesson for all companies holding sensitive information, according to industry commentators.

The Australian Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, also confirmed that his office would be investigating the telco as a result of personal information of four million customers becoming available on its website.

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: NSW Police, Vodafone
References show all

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Coverage
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Tags: data breach, Nigel Dews, privacy, security, Vodafone
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Data Center Physical Infrastructure: Optimising Business Value
    To stay competitive in today’s rapidly changing business world, companies must update the way they view the value of their investment in data center physical infrastructure (DCPI). No longer are simply availability and upfront cost sufficient to make adequate business decisions. Agility, or business flexibility, and low total cost of ownership have become equally important to companies that will succeed in a changing global marketplace.
    Learn more »
  • CSO Security Buyers Guide 2011
    Welcome to the 2011 /2012 CSO Security Buyers Guide CSO is keeping security professionals ahead of the evolving threats and challenges to their businesses. This resource for security professionals assists you in finding leading IT security vendors by their products and solutions. Happy Browsing! The 2011 CSO Buyers Guide team
    Learn more »
  • Control your Print Environment
    In your ongoing quest to maximize productivity and drive down costs, you might be surprised by the savings and greater competitive advantage you can achieve with a fully optimised and well-managed printing and imaging environment. In fact, studies have shown that managing your fleet holistically can save you upwards of 30% on your printing costs. And the savings increase exponentially when the scope of work includes automating your paper intensive workflows. Read more.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments