In this age of technology, data and information privacy is just as important as the cash on your wallet. There are several things hackers can access as long as they have the right information – none of them benefit the owner.
Apparently, General Motors is one of the recent victims of cyberattacks. In the company's notice of breach, GM noticed the suspicious logins from April 11 to 29, 2022 on online customer accounts, which led to unauthorized redemption of gift cards using the customers' reward points. GM said that the feature was disabled as soon as the hacking was discovered.
According to the automaker, the hackers accessed the information from GM's online/mobile application accounts. The limited information accessed includes "first and last name, personal email address, personal address, username and phone number for registered family members tied to your account, last known and saved favorite location information, subscribed OnStar package (if applicable), family members’ avatars and photos (if uploaded), profile picture, search and destination information, reward card activity, and fraudulently redeemed reward points."
GM noted that despite the heft of this information accessed, the more important ones remain inaccessible to the hackers since they weren't stored in the customers' GM accounts. These include date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license number, credit card information, and bank account information.
Apart from temporarily suspending the gift card feature, GM has already notified customers that were affected by the issue. Customers were also required to reset their passwords at their next log-ins, while a report to law enforcement has already been forwarded.
If you're reading this story and you haven't done so on your end, we highly suggest that you do so. It's also recommended that you use varying credentials across your online accounts.
