Parking App Data Breach Risks Thousands of Users

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The operator of Europe’s largest parking app EasyPark Group was recently a victim of a major data breach that compromised the personal information of thousands of users of the company’s connected brands, exposing customer names, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, and partial credit card numbers.

While the exact number of affected users has not been disclosed, a spokesperson revealed that most were in Europe. The company assured users that no combination of the compromised data could be used for making payments, yet warned users to stay vigilant against phishing attempts that could exploit the leaked information.

According to Interesting Engineering, this incident highlights how car users worldwide are ditching parking meters and are switching to digital platforms. EasyPark Group operates in over 4,000 cities across 23 countries, making it Europe’s parking app with the largest coverage.

EasyPark Group states that it immediately reported the incident to regulatory authorities upon discovering the breach, but had not received any ransom demands and was unaware of the stolen data being used or published. Nevertheless, the company urged users to verify their status through the app and expressed regret over the breach, pledging ongoing efforts to regain user trust.

ParkMobile (part of the EasyPark Group) has already faced cybersecurity challenges- it suffered a massive data breach in 2021 that affected 21 million customers globally. The breach was attributed to a vulnerability in third-party software and exposed information like email addresses, phone numbers, license plate numbers, and more.

While EasyPark Group reassures users that compromised data cannot be used for unauthorized transactions, the incident serves as a reminder of the growing threat to data security in the parking industry. With the global shift toward digital payment solutions, users are urged to remain vigilant against potential phishing scams.

As the investigation progresses, cybersecurity experts think this breach highlights the inherent vulnerabilities in centralized parking services, and underscores the need for robust measures to safeguard user data in an increasingly digitized world.