Blackpool Credit Union members' data may be on the dark web

Credit union said it believed that some of the files accessed included personal data such as names of members, addresses, contact numbers, date of birth, and credit union account information

The dark web is a part of the internet that cannot be accessed by standard search engines and can only be visited using highly specialised computer programs.

Members of one of Cork’s largest credit unions have been warned to be vigilant against financial scams after a major cyberattack saw the personal details of thousands of members, including their names, addresses, dates of birth, and account information stolen and possibly shared on the dark web.

Blackpool Credit Union, on the city’s northside, said technical experts were called in to perform a forensic investigation of the hack as soon as they became aware of it, adding that the matter has been reported to the Central Bank, the Data Protection Commission (DPC), and An Garda Síochána.