boAt faces massive breach of privacy! Data of 7.5 mn BoAt customers compromised

Personal data of over 7.5 million boAt customers has been exposed on the dark web, posing a serious threat of financial fraud and identity theft. Popular Indian lifestyle brand boAt has reportedly suffered a massive data breach

The breach allegedly carried out by a hacker known as ShopifyGUY, has shocked the cybersecurity landscape. This has resulted in the exposure of sensitive personal information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and customer has been compromised. The leaked dataset, weighing in at around 2GB, presents a substantial threat to those impacted, leaving them vulnerable to potential financial fraud, phishing attempts, and identity theft.

What is boAt’s reaction to this crisis?

Reacting to the reports, boAt issued a statement on Monday saying that it was aware of the incident and has launched a detailed investigation into the matter. The company’s spokesperson says, ” “boAt is aware of recent claims regarding a potential data leak involving customer information. We take these claims seriously and have immediately launched a comprehensive investigation. At boAt, safeguarding customer data is our top priority”.

Despite the urgency for comprehensive action from boAt lifestyle, including notifying all the affected users, conducting a thorough investigation into the breach’s origins, and enhancing security measures, Yash Kadakia, founder of Security Brigade, says that the company’s response is very skeptical. He further also says that realistically, boAt may opt to deny the breach and move forward, despite the grave implications for its customers.

Cybersecurity experts expressed concerns over the breach and said that a data breach of such an order from a brand impacts the trust and loyalty it has established with the consumers.

“Customers’ data being exfiltrated impacts trust and loyalty, and suppliers who rely on e-commerce ecosystems may choose to abandon the platform,” said Kumar Ritesh, Founder and CEO of CYFIRMA. “Certainly, any data breach is in violation of regulations and there can be financial penalties,” he added.

According to Saumay Srivastava, a Threat Intelligence Researcher, the implications of such breaches extend far beyond the immediate loss of personal information, adds the report. Threat providers could exploit this data through sophisticated social engineering attacks, gaining unauthorized access to bank accounts, conducting fraudulent transactions, and misusing credit cards.

The availability of the stolen data for a mere 2 euros on certain forums in upcoming days underscores the severity of the situation. With potential for the data to circulate freely on platforms like Telegram in the coming days, experts warn of an imminent surge in phone and email scams perpetrated by malicious actors capitalizing on the compromised information.

boAt established itself as the market leader in India’s audio product industry, it achieved a milestone of Rs 4,000 crore($500 million) in net sales for FY 2022-23. The company drives most of its revenues from the sale of audio devices such as wired earphones, wireless earphones, headphones, speakers, wired headphones, and soundbars. It also offers products across other segments such as smartwatches, and other personal care products, and is creating a health and wellness wearables ecosystem within its product portfolio.