Lyca Mobile Confirms Customer Data Leak After Cyberattack

After confirming the cyberattack that led to widespread service disruption, Lyca Mobile disclosed that personal information of some customers was compromised during the incident.

First reported on October 3, 2023; the attack is said to have been discovered by the company on September 30 while investigating the network and operational outage issues.

While addressing the disruption in call services and inaccessibility to its top-up services, the company also hinted at a possible data theft of customer information.

‘’Our number one priority is ensuring the safety and security of our customers’ data, and we are urgently investigating whether any personal information may have been compromised as part of this attack,’’ the statement revealed.

While investigating with third-party security experts, Lyca found that sensitive information related to some customers was accessed by the unknown hackers. Although it was unable to say what type of data was stolen, Lyca revealed the customer information stored on its database.

It includes the name, address, date of birth, alternate contact and address information, copies of identity documents, passport copies, and other similar identity documents. The stolen data also included customer service interactions and stored payment card information, including the last 4 digits of a credit card and its expiration date.

As a precautionary measure, the company has suggested that customers with online accounts should change their passwords and remain vigilant of any suspicious emails, SMS messages, and calls.

Details about the attack and the actors behind it have not been revealed by Lyca, as the investigation and system restoration are still underway. It also notified the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office and Ofcom about the attack.

Although most of the services have been restored in the affected markets, operational facilities like number porting are still unavailable, Lyca revealed.

The UK-based mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) provides mobile and voice IP (VoIP) services to over 16 million customers across 60 countries, worldwide.