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Cyberattack
LivingSocial website hack targeted thousands of Irish users
Data Protection Commissioner knew about the cyber attack two weeks ago.
ALMOST HALF A million users of online discount website LivingSocial.com had their personal account details hacked two weeks ago.
The Data Protection Commissioner’s office confirmed it received details of the cyber attack which affected 450,000 Irish users on 26 April.
When asked by TheJournal.ie what action was taken following the serious data protection issue, a spokeswoman said the information was available on the Data Protection Commissioner’s website for individuals affected since the 29 April.
On 26 April, LivingSocial released a statement on its website advising 50 million customers there had been cyber attack on the company’s computer system.
The website warned customers their names, email addresses, date of birth and some passwords had been targeted by hackers. However, the company said credit card details had not been affected.
“LivingSocial recently experienced a cyber-attack on our computer systems that resulted in unauthorised access to some customer data from our servers. We are actively working with law enforcement to investigate this issue.”
On the same day, the company contacted the Data Protection Commissioner to advise that data belonging to Irish customers had been compromised by hackers.
Three days later, the Commissioner’s office issued a statement on its website warning customers to change their passwords “as soon as possible” on other applications as they may be open to attacks by cyber criminals.
A spokeswoman said: “The company have made a report to us and we’ve asked questions to seek further clarification on what has happened. We will assess if there is any issue under the Data Protection Act and take action if necessary.
“It’s ongoing at the moment so I can’t say what is going to arise from the result of their replies.
“Our main advice was that people should be aware of what fields were compromised and that there is no evidence that any loss has been incurred in relation to individuals yet.”
Gardaí said they would not be investigating the attack as the company is based outside its jurisdiction.
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