[ISN] Honda US cops to vast data snaffle from marketing firm

From: InfoSec News <alerts_at_private>
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 03:51:54 -0600 (CST)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/31/honda_data_breach/

By John Leyden 
The Register
31st December 2010

Honda US has written to customers following a data breach that led to 
the exposure of million of customer records.

Hackers made off with a database containing names, email addresses, and 
Vehicle Identification Numbers (the unique ID for cars) of 2.2 million 
Honda customers following an attack on an unnamed third-party marketing 
outfit. The breach creates a mechanism for miscreants to distribute 
convincing phishing emails, perhaps posing as "special offers", and 
designed to hoodwink victims into disclosing more sensitive private 
information.

Honda has contacted affected customers to warn them of the risk, as well 
as publishing an FAQ on the breach. Criminal hackers also swiped a list 
containing email address records of 2.7 million drivers of Honda's 
luxury Acura car. Vehicle information was not attached to that list, a 
factor that means it only poses a lesser risk, mainly from the 
possibility of increased spamming against exposed email accounts.

Net security firm Sophos notes that the incident illustrates how the 
security reputation of household brands can be damaged by security 
faux-pas from its partners. "It may not be your company who is directly 
hacked, but it can still be your customers' data that ends up exposed, 
and your brand name that is tarnished," Sophos notes.

[...]


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Received on Mon Jan 03 2011 - 01:51:54 PST

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