The latest firm to be hit by a cyber attack is UK pub chain JD Wetherspoon. One of Britain’s biggest pub companies, JD Wetherspoon’s website has been hacked, leading to the data breach of their customers’ personal details.
The cyber attack leaked the names, email addresses and birthdates of 650000 customers as well as the card details of 100 others.
The company statement said: “These credit or debit card details cannot be used on their own for fraudulent purposes, because the first 12 digits and the security number on the reverse of the card were not stored on the database.”
Wetherspoon, however, said that the breach occurred in June but has just been discovered.
The company has alerted customers by email and informed the information commissioner’s office in the UK.
In a letter to its customers, Chief Executive John Hutson said that the company has taken all the necessary measures to make the website again. A forensic investigation is continuing in the breach.
The customers have been recommended to remain vigilant for any unexpected emails asking for their personal information as well as messages requesting them to click on links or download files.
Hutson added, "We apologize wholeheartedly to customers and staff who have been affected. Unfortunately, hacking is becoming more and more sophisticated and widespread. We are determined to respond to this by increasing our efforts and investment in security and will be doing everything possible to prevent a recurrence.”