Fota Wildlife Park Warns Customers Of Cyberattack Risk
Aug 29, 2024
Fota Wildlife Park alerts customers to a cyberattack that may have compromised financial data. The park advises recent buyers to check accounts and cancel cards.
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Fota Wildlife Park in Cork has issued an urgent warning after its website was hit by a cyberattack. The beloved attraction is reaching out to all potentially affected customers, urging them to act swiftly to protect their financial information.
The issue came to light when Fota Wildlife Park detected suspicious activity on its website. Concerned that their systems had been compromised, they moved quickly to investigate. Their first steps included removing all user access to the site and bringing in external cybersecurity experts to assess the extent of the damage.
In an email sent to customers, Fota Wildlife Park shared the troubling news. Anyone who made a purchase on their website between May 12th and August 27th could be at risk. The park strongly advised these customers to review their bank accounts and credit card statements for any unusual activity. To err on the side of caution, they also suggested canceling the credit or debit cards used during that period.
Protecting Your Financial Information
Fota Wildlife Park's management stressed that they take the protection of personal and financial information very seriously. They assured customers that they acted immediately to contain the breach and are now working closely with the Data Protection Commission (DPC) and An Garda Síochána to get to the bottom of the incident.
As a precaution, the park has temporarily taken its website offline. Despite this, Fota Wildlife Park remains open for visitors, and its daily operations continue as usual.
The park's management confirmed that they had activated their incident response plan as soon as the illegal activity was detected.
An internal investigation was launched, and appropriate measures were swiftly taken to secure the site and prevent further breaches.
Cybersecurity expert Brian Honan of BH Consulting offered practical advice for those affected. He recommended canceling any bank cards used for purchases on Fota Wildlife Park’s website during the affected period.
He also advised changing passwords, especially if the same passwords are used on other websites. Honan highlighted the importance of enabling multi-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security.
Honan shed light on how these types of cyberattacks typically unfold. He suggested that the attackers likely planted malicious code on the Fota Wildlife Park website.
This code could have captured sensitive information, such as login credentials and payment details, as customers entered them. While transactions seemed to go through as normal, the data might have been secretly copied and sent to the attackers.
A Wake-Up Call for Other Businesses
The incident at Fota Wildlife Park serves as a stark reminder to other organizations. Honan urged companies to learn from this breach and take proactive steps to secure their websites.
He recommended regular security checks, including penetration testing, to ensure websites are not vulnerable to similar attacks. Monitoring for unusual activity and having a solid incident response plan in place are essential for any business that handles customer data.
Fota Wildlife Park continues to work closely with authorities to resolve the situation. They are urging all recent customers to stay vigilant and take the necessary precautions to protect their financial information.
The park reassured the public that they are doing everything possible to address the breach and prevent future incidents. They remain committed to safeguarding their customers' personal information and will keep everyone informed as the investigation unfolds.
