It’s almost impossible to avoid everyday news of another company being added to the long list of data breach perpetrators and here’s another one…
Parking app “RinGo” is the latest company to suffer a breach. The app supposedly removes the hassle of paying for parking, making it quick and easy without the need to queue.
After the company updated their app, hundreds of customers reportedly saw other people’s details when they tried to log into the app.
It’s believed that a number of sensitive information was leaked for users, which included:
- Names;
- Email addresses;
- Mobile numbers;
- Car registration numbers;
- Parking history information;
- Address details.
Thousands affected
Although the company claims that most of their customers did not have their address stored on the application, it is still an estimated 2,000 individuals who have had information put at risk. Even if customers did not store their address on the app, other information was there for a large number of people to see.
Being a technology company, you would think that RinGo would have data protection covered; however, they have potentially left thousands of their customer’s personal information vulnerable.
RingGo customers angered
Customers were angered to find out that their personal information had been leaked, and some even claimed that the company just told them their account was frozen, and not that they had suffered a data leak. When customers tried to cancel accounts or remove information, the app would not let them remove details such as payment cards, meaning that their credit or debit cards could also be potentially put at risk.
The app developers have since taken responsibility for the leak and formally apologised on their website and social media, and are in the process of contacting anyone whose details are at risk. They have also reported the issue to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) who deal with data protection compliance here in the UK.
Another example of poor data security?
Although the company has taken steps to rectify the data protection issue, their customer’s data should never have been at risk in the first place.