Data in hackers’ hands: what Pathao says
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Pathao has announced plans to strengthen the security of its app after allegations that hackers accessed data belonging to a large number of customers.
In a statement, the ride sharing company said a security incident had occurred on its platform. However, immediate measures were taken to bring the situation under control. Cybersecurity experts have been engaged to strengthen the security of its systems.
The statement was published on Pathao’s Facebook page last Wednesday after a cybercriminal group claimed to have hacked millions of rows of data from the company.
The group claimed to have obtained approximately 133 gigabytes of Pathao’s data and demanded $400,000 in exchange. The claim was published in a post on X by Daily Dark Web, an account that monitors the dark web.
According to the post, the group claimed to have obtained a primary user database containing 10,963,918 accounts. The database reportedly included email addresses, phone numbers, names, hashed passwords, GPS information, Facebook IDs and access tokens.
However, Pathao’s statement said the company had learned that some of its users’ personal information had fallen into the hands of malicious actors. The information included names, email addresses and phone numbers.
The statement did not specify exactly how many users were affected, how the information fell into the hands of the attackers or what type of security vulnerability led to the incident.
The statement also said the matter had been reported to law enforcement agencies or government authorities.
Pathao said efforts were underway to keep its systems fully stable. During this period, users might temporarily experience intermittent issues.
Pathao also advised users to remain vigilant. The statement warned them to be cautious of any unsolicited messages, phone calls or links sent by individuals claiming to represent Pathao.
The company also advised users not to share their passwords, PINs or one-time passwords (OTPs) in response to unsolicited communications.
