TalkTalk fined a record £400,000 over cyber attack on customer data

TalkTalk has been handed a record £400,000 fine for security failings over a cyber attack which allowed customer data to be accessed "with ease", a watchdog has announced.

The Information Commissioner's Office said the attack last October could have been prevented if TalkTalk had taken basic steps to protect customers' information.

Personal data of 156,959 customers including names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and email addresses was said to have been accessed.