300,000 Customers Phone Numbers and Home Addresses Stolen After Vhive was Hacked 3 Times; Hacker Group Threatens to Leaked 20,000 Records Daily

As Earth approaches an all-new technological age, it has become more necessary than ever that we learn how to contain hackers and the dangers they entail.

After all, it takes just one security lapse, for them to leap on all your prior insecurities.

Much like human behaviour, really.

300,000 Customers Phone Numbers and Home Addresses Stolen After Vhive was Hacked 3 Times; Hacker Group Threatens to Leaked 20,000 Records Daily

Local furniture retailer Vhive has certainly learnt that the hard way when they found themselves infiltrated by the hacker group Altdos.

The data breach led to the leakage of numerous customers’ personal information, such as phone numbers and physical addresses.

In total, the records of over 300,000 customers were seized in the illegal operation.

If Vhive does not meet the group’s demands, the latter will proceed to leak 20,000 more records daily.

Police assistance has since been rendered.

Compromised

The aforementioned revelation was unveiled via a Facebook post on 29 March, when Vhive took to the social media site to warn its customers of the data breach.

It also stated that it was working with the police and the relevant authorities to address the issue, as well as to safeguard itself against any future attacks.

Despite the data breach, however, identification numbers and financial information were not leaked.

“All financial records in relation to purchases made with Vhive are held on a separate system which was not hacked,” it added.

Nevertheless, Vhive has apologised for the breach.

“We are truly sorry for the incident and stand ready to assist you if you require immediate help,” Vhive told customers.

Meanwhile, Altdos has since sent an e-mail to affiliated customers, stating that it had hacked into Vhive three times in nine days, during which it stole over 300,000 customers’ records and nearly 600,000 transaction records.

Until its demands are met, Altdos would allegedly be releasing 20,000 records on a daily basis.

Altdos

This is far from being the first time that hacker group Altdos had committed a high-profile breach.

Concentrated on stock exchanges and financial institutions, Altdos has a serial knack for stealing customer data from companies, blackmailing them, leaking the data online if their demands are not met and publicising the info.

In January, it reportedly broke into the IT infrastructure of Bangladeshi conglomerate Beximco Group and stole data from 34 databases.

“In total, ALTDOS has stolen hundreds of gigabytes of files, source coding and databases from 34 of Beximco websites, including its telecom subsidy—BOL-ONLINE.COM,” a spokesperson of the group allegedly said.

And in December 2020, it breached a Thai securities trading firm’s defenses and subsequently leaked stolen data when the firm ignored its e-mail and demands.

Altdos is said to have conducted cyber-attacks in other countries as well, including the Philippines and Malaysia.

Featured Image: Facebook (Sherwin Bob Diaz)