Carousell Hit By Data Breach With Emails & Mobile Numbers Exposed

You might want to tread on the side of caution and hold off of listing your pre-loved items on Carousell for a while.

Here’s why.

Data breach on Carousell

The e-commerce platform Carousell notified its users on Friday (21 Oct) about a data breach that occurred on 14 Oct.

Yes, they took one entire week before informing users.

Before you fly into a state of panic, it’s okay. Your NRIC number is still safe with you.

Data that was exposed by the breach included users’ registered email addresses and mobile numbers.

If you were affected by the data breach, go check your e-mail now – it’s likely you were already informed about it.

The platform informed users whose accounts were affected by the data breach via email. However, the platform did not explain why it took a week before finally informing affected users of the breach.

So, how exactly did the data breach happen?

A bug used by a third party

Apparently, a bug was used by a third party to gain unauthorised access to the personal data of certain users in Singapore.

Your classic explanation for how a data breach happens.

In the e-mail to affected users, the platform notes that they have taken action in connection with this breach and have fixed the bug to prevent any further unauthorised access to personal information.

For now, users need not worry about the same bug causing further breaches.

Carousell also added that they are working on security enhancement features to better protect Carousell users and prevent another data breach from happening again.

With any luck, we won’t be seeing Carousell on the news again.

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The platform also notes that law enforcement officials, such as the Personal Data Commission of Singapore, have been notified regarding this breach.

These law enforcement officials are currently assisting our favourite buy-and-sell app with their investigations into the breach.

If you’re a user of Carousell’s in-app payment feature, don’t worry. No credit card and payment-related information was compromised in this breach.

And if you have a strange and quirky password, you can have peace of mind as well. No password-related information was compromised in this breach.

Identity theft is also an unlikely consequence, as the breach did not include users’ NRIC numbers.

With that said, please still continue to err on the side of caution – you might be seeing more phishing attempts.

Since mobile numbers and e-mail addresses were compromised, it is a potential risk that users would be more susceptible to phishing attempts.

The platform also urged its users to stay vigilant and to be wary of SMSes or emails sent from unknown sources, particularly those with foreign links.

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Featured Image: Carousell