TalkTalk, hit by a massive hack last year, now wants to help people 'protect themselves from online threats'

British telecom company TalkTalk is launching a new initiative to "help more people benefit from digital technology and better protect themselves from online threats."

This is the same TalkTalk that was hit with a highly publicised hack in October 2015, which resulted in the theft of 156,959 customers' details, including bank account details, addresses, phone numbers, and dates-of-birth.

250,000 people ditched the ISP following the hack, and in October 2016 the company was hit with a record £400,000 fine by the UK regulator ICO for failing to prevent the attack.

The attackers got in with an SQL injection attack - a type of attack that is extremely well-known, more than 15 years old, and easily preventable.

UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said that "in spite of its expertise and resources, when it came to the basic principles of cyber-security, TalkTalk was found wanting."

Undeterred, the company is now launching an online course called "Staying Safe In Your Digital World," it announced in an emailed press release on Friday.

The course, which goes live on October 18, was put together with the help of the Tinder Foundation (not that Tinder; the foundation works on "digital inclusion"), as well as non-profits Get Safe Online and Internet Matters. It aims to provide people with knowledge and skills about threats online and how to defend yourself - from protecting personal data to detecting online scams.

"Cyber crime continues to grow at an alarming rate - to the point where in the last year alone there were six million reported incidences of fraud and cyber crimes," TalkTalk's announcement says.

"Yet digital skills training hasn't evolved to reflect the changing nature of the internet and the necessity to better protect ourselves from criminals online."