THOUSANDS of drivers could be at risk after a major city’s parking service appeared to fall victim to a data breach.
A listing on the dark web appears to expose private information belonging to customers who used certain garage and valet services over a two-year period.
Drivers who used Manhattan Parking Group, one of New York City’s major garage operators, have been warned that they may have been targeted in an alleged cybersecurity incident.
Screenshots of a well-known hacker forum on the dark web appear to show information about customers that was leaked online.
The forum’s page claims that over 220,000 customer records were exposed in the data breach.
Drivers’ email addresses, cell phone numbers and the garage they parked at were also allegedly leaked, as uncovered by the website Data Breaches.
The data breach impacts drivers who used facilities between January 2022 and March 2024.
Some customers are believed to have used professional email addresses, while most used their personal addresses.
Information relating to payments and costs were also allegedly exposed, as well as details about cars.
But, no credit card information was exposed.
Officials have yet to confirm the data breach and it’s not yet known who carried out the cyber attack.
The U.S. Sun has approached the Manhattan Parking Group for comment.
But, cybersecurity experts have warned of the potential risks – even if information stolen isn’t financial-related.
“Even license plate data and email addresses can be exploited if they fall into the wrong hands,” Maya Cohen, a cybersecurity analyst at SentinelOne, told Medium.
Security experts have shared tips on what Americans should do if they suspect their personal data has been compromised.
Bank tips for avoiding scams
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important you know how to spot a scam:
- Be skeptical of online deals that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers will often use tactics to make you panicked so you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are told to take immediate action and verify who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
- Never send money to someone you have only spoken to online or by phone as this is likely a romance scam.
- Unless you 100% know who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at an ATM and always be vigilant when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click any links indicating that you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
They are encouraged to change their passwords and combinations should feature a mix of characters.
Americans should make their passwords as complicated to guess as possible.
They are also encouraged to monitor their bank accounts to ensure there are no unusual payments.
And, they should subscribe to two-factor authentication, which provides another layer of security.
Those impacted have also been warned about the risk of scam calls.
In October 2014, some drivers in St. Louis, Missouri fell victim to an apparent data breach, as per the Fox affiliate KTVI-TV.
It impacted drivers who used their bank cards when paying for parking at the Union Station lot in St. Louis.
Bosses revealed they took decisive action once they became aware of the cyberattack.
“As soon as the breach was discovered, the affected server was isolated and security measures were put in place to eliminate any further compromise of data,” they said at the time.
