According to Cyber Express, a recent data breach in Canada affected the private data of 1 million Park’N Fly customers.
This massive breach has shattered customers’ trust in Park'N Fly because cybercriminals with VPN access penetrated the network and stole personal information including names, email address, and CAA and Aeroplan numbers!
This blog highlights the details of this shocking breach, the impact on consumers, and the steps you can take in case of a data breach.
Parking company Park'N Fly revealed that an unapproved third party compromised one million client files last month through an online hack.
The company released a statement stating that an investigation has shown that "no payment information was compromised." The attack happened between July 11 and July 13.
When "a third party accessed the Park'N Fly network through unauthorized remote VPN access," the company stated, "approximately 1 million customer files were accessed."
The threat actors breached the Park'N Fly networks through stolen VPN credentials in mid-July and stole data from the company. On August 1, the company determined that customer information was also accessed during the attack. https://t.co/JEulmzGg1w
— Jeff Hall - PCI Guru - #StandWithUkraine (@jbhall56) August 28, 2024
The corporation emailed customers on Monday to notify them of the breach, more than three weeks before its discovery.
The email says,
"We determined on August 1, 2024, that some of your personal information was likely affected by the incident."
"We have been diligently investigating this incident with the assistance of outside experts."
The organization said that once its platforms were "fully restored within five days," it had strengthened its cyber security measures.
Park'N Fly which is a major provider of off-airport parking services at major airports across Canada, is warning that they had a data breach where hackers exposed the personal and account information of 1 million customers in Canada.
— NIKSUN (@NIKSUN) August 28, 2024
Read more: https://t.co/izu4tZ6DNk
A million or more Canadian consumers' names, email addresses, Aeroplan and CAA numbers, and other personal information were compromised.
Even though no financial information was accessed, the hack greatly worried and inconvenienced those impacted. Consumers risk falling victim to fraud schemes such as phishing and identity theft. The event also harmed Park N Fly's customer trust and reputation.
CEO Carlo Marrello declared on Monday that the business is "committed to transparency" and that system integrity will be given top priority.
"At Park’N Fly, the trust and security of our customers are paramount,"
Marrello stated in the release.
"While we deeply regret any concern this incident may have caused, we want to reassure our valued customers and partners that we are taking all necessary steps to safeguard their information.”
After discovering the hack, Park'N Fly claims to have stepped up security monitoring and updated the network's antivirus program.
There could be many privacy hazards due to the Park'N Fly data breach, which revealed the personal information of about one million consumers. Following are a few possible outcomes as a result of a data breach:
Names, addresses, and contact details, among other exposed data, can be exploited to impersonate somebody.
Using stolen information, identity thieves may try to open new accounts, obtain loans, or make unlawful transactions.
Hackers can send highly tailored phishing emails with the stolen data, increasing the likelihood that victims will believe them.
When personally identifiable information is made available online, it can result in doxxing, which is the public disclosure of private information.
Doxxing can also put a person at risk for physical threats, stalking, or other forms of harassment.
Data that has been stolen can be purchased on the dark web and utilized for a variety of nefarious activities.
Here are some quick actions you should take if you've been informed that the Park'N Fly 2024 data breach compromised your personal information:
Steps | Action |
1. Examine Your Accounts | Check credit card and bank statements for fraudulent activity. Report suspicious transactions. |
2. Verify Passwords | Change passwords for accounts used to access Park'N Fly. |
3. Put Your Credit on Freeze | Contact a credit bureau to freeze your credit report. |
4. Watch Out for Phishing Attempts | Be wary of suspicious calls, texts, or emails. Never open attachments or click links from unknown sources. |
5. Report the Breach | File a complaint with the FTC or your state attorney general's office. |
6. Register for Credit Monitoring | Consider signing up for a credit monitoring service. |
7. Check Park'N Fly's Website | Visit the Park'N Fly website for updates on the data breach. |
Even though you follow all the security and privacy measures, it is still hard for you to defend private data from smart and cunning hackers.
They will try every trick up their sleeves to collect and steal your personal information to sell it to the highest bidders. Or worse, ask for a hefty ransom in return.
During such breaches, it is important to rely on rock-solid privacy apps like PurePrivacy that can help you protect personal information and even alert you about such breaches beforehand.
PurePrivacy monitors the dark web closely to identify any compromised or released personal information that may be related to you.
By disabling third-party cookies, trackers, you can protect your online activities from being monitored and maintain your anonymity while browsing.
You can use PurePrivacy to identify data brokers, assess privacy risk, and remove your information from their databases with automated opt-out requests.
To avoid unauthorized tracking and guarantee the privacy of your online activity, automatically delete your browsing history, cookies, and cache.
Park'N Fly confirmed that personal data, including names, email addresses, physical addresses, Aeroplan numbers, and CAA numbers, was accessed, even though it has not revealed all the specifics. They have clarified, meanwhile, that no credit card or bank information was stolen.
Park'N Fly will implement more security measures to protect user information in the future. They are also investigating the situation with the assistance of outside experts.
It is generally a good idea to update your passwords regularly, especially if you use the same password for many accounts, even if Park'N Fly has maintained that account passwords were not hacked.
Keep a watchful eye on your accounts to spot any strange activity.
Phishing efforts should be avoided as they could try to fool you into giving personal information.
Put a fraud notice on your credit record, if possible.
The Park'N Fly data breach reminds us how easily personal information may be compromised, even in seemingly safe situations.
Prioritizing data protection methods is essential knowing hackers and scammers will target publicly available platforms.
You can also use PurePrivacy with a VPN to protect your private data from malicious actors.