Incident Details
During 2019, measures were implemented to combat digital skimming, leading to the detection of 443 online vendors that had been compromised. Digital skimming involves cybercriminals stealing payment card details from e-commerce websites.
Incident
How Did the Breach Happen?
A breach took place by using digital skimming, where cyber attackers inserted harmful code into the websites of the affected online stores. This code aimed to collect payment card details provided by the customers.
What Data has been Compromised?
The data breach involves confidential payment card details like credit card numbers, expiry dates, and CVV codes that were provided by customers on the web portals of the impacted merchants.
Why Did the company's Security Measures Fail?
The digital skimming attack went undetected and was not stopped by the company's security measures because they were outdated, lacking intrusion detection systems, and had inadequate employee training and awareness of cybersecurity aspects.
What Immediate Impact Did the Breach Have on the company?
Online merchants impacted by the breach experienced a variety of negative outcomes, such as harm to their reputation, financial setbacks from unauthorized purchases, possible legal consequences, and a decrease in customer trust and confidence.
How could this have been prevented?
Preventing this security breach could have been achieved by incorporating strong cybersecurity tactics, such as conducting routine security evaluations and updates, utilizing intrusion detection systems, following secure coding methods, providing personnel with cybersecurity training, and applying encryption methods to safeguard payment card information.
What have we learned from this data breach?
The recent breach of data underscores the crucial need for e-commerce businesses to place a high priority on cybersecurity and establish robust security protocols to safeguard customer information. It underscores the importance of conducting frequent security assessments, providing ongoing training for staff, and actively monitoring for any potential security risks.
Summary of Coverage
In 2019, the discovery of digital skimming activities exposed 443 online merchants that were compromised by inserting malicious code into their websites. Consequently, cybercriminals were able to illicitly obtain payment card details. This incident had severe consequences, including harm to reputation, financial implications, and erosion of customer confidence. To mitigate the risk of similar breaches, online merchants ought to adopt strong cybersecurity protocols and make safeguarding customer data a top priority.