Online card company Funky Pigeon has suspended all orders from its websites amid a "cyber security incident".
The WHSmith-owned retailer said it has been targeted by hackers last Thursday and was forced to shut off its systems as a safety measure. It is not yet clear if any personal data was accessed but the company has said it is investigating if there was a breach of customer names, addresses, email addresses and personalised card designs.
Despite this, the company has announced that no payment information or customer accounts passwords were accessed as a result of the hacking incident. Funky Pigeon has also stated that it will write to all customers who used the service in the past 12 months so that they are made aware of the incident, the Mirror reports.
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If you have used Funky Pigeon's services in the past 12 months you should keep an eye out for an email from the company which will likely inform you of any precautions you need to take to protect your data. Parent company WHSmith said in a statement: “We take the security of customer data extremely seriously.
"The company has temporarily suspended orders from the website and is currently investigating the detail of the incident with external IT specialists.
"No customer payment data, such as bank account or credit card details, has been placed at risk - all of this data is processed securely via accredited third-parties and is securely encrypted.”
It added: “We would like to sincerely apologise to our customers for any concern or disruption this may cause, and reassure them that our teams are working around the clock to investigate and resolve this incident.
“As our investigation progresses, we will provide further updates to customers and other affected parties as necessary.”
The company has also told the relevant regulators and law enforcement authorities about the cyber security breach. It comes just a few weeks after the arts and crafts chain The Works was hit by a similar cyber attack.
It had to shut down access to its data internally and externally earlier this month after hackers targeted its systems which resulted in a temporary suspension of new stock deliveries and longer delivery times for online orders.
What to do if I'm worried about my data being breached?
If you are a regular Chrome browser user, there is a free add-on created by Google which allows you to check if your online credentials have been compromised. Password Checkup is a free extension designed to strengthen a user's online security by scanning known databases.
It pinpoints usernames and passwords which hackers have stolen and made available to other cybercriminals. It is also highly recommended to regularly change your passwords for different websites and apps while avoiding using the same password for multiple accounts.
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