Camelot downplays impact of cyber security breach
National Lottery operator admits more than 26,000 accounts were accessed by hackers
Camelot has downplayed the impact of a cyber security breach that saw approximately 26,500 National Lottery online accounts compromised by hackers.
Camelot said in a statement this morning it first noticed suspicious activity in player accounts on Monday and has now suspended the compromised accounts.
According to the operator, 50 accounts had their personal details changed but no money was withdrawn and no bank details were stolen.
The operator added: “We would like to make clear that there has been no unauthorised access to core National Lottery systems or any of our databases, which would affect National Lottery draws or payment of prizes.”
The firm said it believes the email addresses and passwords used on the National Lottery website were stolen from another – unnamed – website where affected players use the same details.
The operators said the affected players are being asked to reset their passwords and have been given “some more general online security advice”.
The company said in a statement: “Cyber criminals such as this are persistent, and we are continuing to monitor and protect our systems. We are also working closely with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre on an ongoing basis on this criminal matter.”
The security breach is the second major digital snafu for Camelot in recent months after it was forced to suspend its flagship National Lottery app for around a month in October.