The Guardian has notified around 500,000 users of
itsUK jobs
websitethat their personal details may have
been compromised in a hacker attack.
Users have been advised to take precautionary measures including
contacting a credit reference agency and the UK fraud prevention
service Cifas to ensure their information is not being used.
The Guardian claims in reports that the
"sophisticated and deliberate hack" was stopped while still in
progress.
According to a security notice posted on the Guardian jobs
website, administrators of the site have identified how the site
was hacked and has taken steps to prevent a recurrence.
No technical details have been released because these are part
of the investigation being conducted by the central e-crime unit at
Scotland yard, a spokesman said.
The Guardian claims user accounts were not hacked, but
compromised data could include users' names, e-mail addresses,
letters and CVs stored on databases by third party supplier
Madgex.
No financial or bank data was compromised and the Guardian's
US-based Jobs site was not affected, the media company said.
Credit reference agencies:
Experian
UK and Ireland >>
Equifax Credit Rating >>
Fraud prevention:
Cifas online >>