Teenager Admits To TalkTalk Hack

A 17-year-old boy has admitted to hacking British Internet service provider TalkTalk and compromising confidential data of more than 150,000 customers, which caused a financial loss of around £80 million, Infosecurity reports.

The attack, which took place in October last year, exposed the firm’s use of outdated software and inadequate security for its customers for which it was imposed a fine by the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) of £400,000.

The teenager, says Infosecurity, is charged with using vulnerabilities on target websites to hack them, and also launching attacks on other sites including the universities of Manchester and Cambridge. He is said to have stolen financial data of around 15,000 TalkTalk customers.

“I didn't think of the consequences at the time. I was just showing off to my mates," he reportedly told the court.

The teenager was arrested along with six others and will be sentenced next month.

Read more on Infosecurity.