Irish-based loyalty card provider, Loyaltybuild, has suffered a breach in its system due to a cyber-attack which may have affected thousands of its customers, the Irish Independent reported.
Customers’ payment details are deleted three months after the person has travelled, which means that only people who have travelled using offers from Loyaltybuild over the past 90 days were at risk. However, the company noted that customers’ Card Verification Value (CVV) numbers were not stored, which is good news, as this number is needed when completing transactions online.
The newspaper points out that around 43,000 people who booked getaway breaks might suffer the impact of the cyber-attack. Another 39,000 Super Valu customers from the Republic and Northern Ireland who have also booked holidays could be affected, while another 50 who booked via Stena Line, and 4,368 with Axa. It is also possible that approximately 102,000 people from Sweden and Norway have been affected.
People should closely monitor the use of their credit cards and their account activity, and take the necessary measures to protect sensitive information, such as a PIN code. If customers have any concerns, they should get advice from providers.
The newspaper contacted the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), and a spokesperson said that their systems are encrypted and it is not clear how much sensitive data has been taken. The spokesperson also added that it remains to be determined what information the cybercriminals were able to access.