Data Breach at Canadian Tire: Shopper Information Compromised
TORONTO — Customers who engaged in online transactions with Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. may have unwittingly exposed their personal information due to a significant data breach.
On Monday, the retailer disclosed that a breach occurred on October 2, affecting information stored within its e-commerce database.
Compromised data pertains to those who maintain an e-commerce account with Canadian Tire or its affiliated brands, including SportChek, Mark’s/L’Équipeur, and Party City.
The exposed information encompassed names, addresses, email addresses, birth years, as well as encrypted passwords. In certain cases, partial credit card numbers were also disclosed, resembling the details typically found on a store receipt, according to the retailer.
Additionally, the full birth dates of fewer than 150,000 customers were implicated in the breach. Those directly affected will be notified and provided with credit monitoring services from TransUnion Canada, as stated by Canadian Tire.
Importantly, the compromised data did not include information from Canadian Tire Bank or Triangle Rewards loyalty accounts, and the breach alone did not render accounts vulnerable to unauthorized access or fraudulent purchases, the company affirmed.
The retailer assured that this incident has not interfered with in-store transactions, emphasizing that its e-commerce functionalities remain fully operational.
In the wake of discovering the breach, Canadian Tire has rectified the underlying vulnerability and is collaborating with experts to enhance its security protocols.
“All of our websites and systems are under continuous surveillance by both internal teams and external cybersecurity specialists,” the retailer informed customers on a dedicated webpage addressing the breach.
“There is no evidence of any ongoing unauthorized activity.”
Customers were advised that if they do not receive an email from TransUnion Canada on behalf of Canadian Tire, no further action is necessary.
Nonetheless, the retailer emphasized the importance of employing robust, unique passwords, avoiding password reuse, and activating multi-factor authentication.
“If you observe anything unusual, please reach out to your financial institution and report any instances of fraud to the authorities,” Canadian Tire urged.
Statistics from Statistics Canada reveal that police-reported cybercrimes surged to 92,567 last year, a notable increase from 65,141 incidents in 2020. Fraud constituted 46,301 of these crimes, while identity theft accounted for 957, and identity fraud saw 4,283 reported cases.
Experts consistently highlight that cybercrime remains under-reported, attributed largely to the stigma and embarrassment often associated with being victimized.
Concerns over cybersecurity have also been raised in recent incidents involving Nova Scotia Power, the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, B.C., and PowerSchool, which develops educational software utilized by numerous schools.
Source link: Ca.finance.yahoo.com.
