Animates impacted by a data breach

Animates, the New Zealand-based pet supplies retailer, has shut down their website after learning that it suffered a data breach, thus affecting its 2700 customers. Between Jun. 29, 2019, and Sep. 13, 2019, an unidentified third-party has breached Animates website and might have accessed customers' payment details as well as personal information entered on the website.

The data breach appears to be caused by the malicious software, which infected the Animates website and remains undetected. The company only able to found the breach in a security audit. Once the breach was discovered by Animates, it immediately shut down their website and started an investigation with help from the external security consultants. The company also said that it has notified the relevant legal as well as privacy authorities.

"Through our investigation to date credit/debit card data has been targeted through the breach. Any personal information shared with us may have also been impacted by the incident. This could include your address, phone number, email address, username or password," mentions the company on their website.

However, the pet supplies retailer said that the customers who have paid for the items in physical stores; as well as those customers who have used the Layby or PayPal to pay for the online purchases were not affected by this data breach.

The company added that anybody who has purchased any items from their website should carefully monitor their bank statements. In case unusual activity is found on the bank statements, it should be reported immediately to his/her bank. Moreover, if the same passwords were also used on other sites, then it should be changed. The customers should also look out for telephone, email and text-based scams.

Animates said that they take protection of their customers' data seriously, and thus are launching one new website which has passed the security audits of the third-party security specialists. The new website is expected to go live very soon. The customers would have to create new accounts again after the site goes live.

"We unreservedly apologise this incident has occurred. At Animates, we have always prided ourselves on providing great experiences for our customers," the company concludes.

» SPAMfighter News - 10/9/2019