It’s an online shopper’s worst nightmare — knowing that your credit card’s details have been exposed to hackers.
Today, broadcast giant ABS-CBN released a statement announcing that it deactivated its two online stores, ABS-CBN Store and UAAP Store after they were discovered to have been hacked.
In a statement posted on its own website, the company said that there were 213 customers who “may have been affected” by the data breach, and their personal and credit card details “may have been exposed.”
The company said the breach did not affect its other digital assets and that it has already informed the National Privacy Commission (NPC) about the breach. The NPC is a government agency which ensures that the country meets international standards covering data protection.
The breach was discovered by Dutch security researcher Willem “Gwillem” de Groot, who wrote on his blog that the hack started on Aug. 16 of this year. He wrote: “The credit cards and identities are then (presumably) sold on the black market.”
He adds: “Filipinos are recommended to carefully check their credit card statements for unauthorized payments. I have notified ABS-CBN of the breach, but have not received a response.”
According to technology website ZDNet, the hacking was done by a group called Magecart, which sends stolen information to a server based in Irkutsk, Russia.
It’s the same group responsible for the hacking which affected British Airways’ website and mobile app earlier this month. They also hacked into Ticketmaster’s system, where customers’ information were stolen.
Be careful whenever you shop online — your credit card details might end up in the hands of wily hackers.
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