Two friends from the Midlands are facing jail for their part in the hack attack on the TalkTalk website, after admitting charges relating to the “car crash” data breach in 2015.
Matthew Hanley, 22, pleaded guilty to hacking into the website of the telecommunications giant between October 18 and 22 2015. He also supplied data for hacking to another man and gave his friend Connor Allsopp, 20, the personal and financial details of a TalkTalk customer for the use in fraud.
Hanley denied other charges relating hacking into Nasa, the National Climatic Data Centre and another 23 websites including Spotify, Telstra, the RAC and The Eton Collection which were ordered to lie on file.
At an earlier hearing, Allsopp admitted supplying a TalkTalk customer’s details for fraud and as well as files for hacking.
Judge Michael Topolski QC ordered reports for both defendants and adjourned sentencing until May 31.
In November last year, a 17-year-old youth was handed a 12-month rehabilitation order after he admitted sparking off the TalkTalk hacking when he posted details of a flaw in the firm’s online security.
The TalkTalk website was targeted more than 14,000 times after the boy exposed the vulnerability.
The firm said the fallout from the cyber attack in October 2015 cost it £42m and the personal data of nearly 160,000 people was accessed, although experts predict the final bill could be as high as £60m.
Related stories
TalkTalk chief bows out ‘after seven fulfilling years’
17-year-old lad pleads guilty to TalkTalk ‘car crash’
TalkTalk could have faced £70m fine under GDPR
TalkTalk rocked by record £400k fine for data breach
TalkTalk flayed over brutal treatment of pensioner
TalkTalk hits back at ‘worst customer service’ claim
TalkTalk claims bounceback despite slump in profits
