Cyber thieves have targeted Supermarket chain Tesco which has resulted in more than 2,000 online accounts being suspended.
Tesco have had to suspend the accounts when thousands of usernames and passwords appeared on a text sharing portal. It is believed that the details were not stolen from Tesco but from other websites with the cyber thieves relying on users using the same username and password credentials for several different online accounts.
It is also reported that the cyber thieves also targeted the accounts to steal Tesco Clubcard points. However, it is thought that less than ten people have actually had points stolen by the cyber thieves.
Tesco have confirmed the attack and have stressed that they do take data security very seriously. Tesco also confirmed that they are in the process of informing the affected customers’ whilst also investigating the attack.
In a statement released by Tesco, the spokesperson stated, “We take the security of our customers’ data extremely seriously and are urgently investigating these claims. We are contacting all customers who may have been affected and are committed to ensuring that none of them miss out as a result of this.”
The spokesperson added, “We will issue replacement vouchers to the very small number who are affected.”
This latest attack shows that it is very important to ensure that when setting up online accounts, different username and password credentials are used for each account to help ensure that their data remains safe. If each user affected had done this, then the attack against Tesco would have been unsuccessful and all of their accounts would have remained active.
The strength of the password used when setting up any online account is very important. A strong password should be used as this will help reduce the chances of a hacker or cyber thief from accessing your online account. This is reduced even further if a strong but different password is used for each online account.
Do you use different username and password credentials for different online accounts?
