Taj Hotels suffers data breach, exposes information of 1.5 million customers
The reported data breach affecting the Taj Hotels group, owned by Tata, reveals a concerning exposure of information for over 1.5 million customers. According to sources close to the incident, a bad actor operating under the pseudonym “Dnacookies” has claimed responsibility for the breach and is demanding a ransom of $5,000 (approximately Rs 4,16,000) for the complete dataset.
The compromised information reportedly includes sensitive details such as addresses, membership IDs, mobile numbers, and other personally identifiable information. This incident raises serious concerns about the potential impact on affected customers, who may now be at an increased risk of identity theft, phishing attacks, and other malicious activities.
The organization is likely to respond by launching internal investigations to assess the scope of the breach, identify vulnerabilities, and implement measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. Additionally, law enforcement agencies may become involved in investigating the cybercrime. The incident underscores the ongoing challenges faced by organizations in safeguarding customer data and highlights the need for robust cybersecurity measures to mitigate such risks.
In response to the reported data breach affecting the Taj Hotels group, a spokesperson for the Indian Hotels Company Ltd. (IHCL), which manages the Taj Group, has acknowledged awareness of the situation. According to the spokesperson, the compromised customer data set is described as non-sensitive in nature. The company emphasizes that it is limited in scope and assures that sensitive information has not been exposed.
The bad actor, known as “Dnacookies,” claims to be in possession of this limited data set, which reportedly spans the period from 2014 to 2020. Notably, the actor asserts that the data has not been disclosed elsewhere up to this point. The breach details, as reviewed by the Economic Times on hacker forums, were made public on November 5. As part of the disclosure, the bad actor provided a sample that included one thousand rows of unique entries from the compromised data set.
While the nature of the exposed information is stated to be non-sensitive, the breach underscores the broader challenges faced by organizations in safeguarding customer data. The acknowledgment of the breach and the ongoing investigation into the incident will likely be closely monitored by affected customers, industry regulators, and cybersecurity experts as the organization works to assess the extent of the compromise and take necessary steps to mitigate potential risks.
The Indian Hotels Company Ltd. (IHCL) spokesperson has affirmed that the company is actively investigating the claim of a data breach and has promptly notified the relevant authorities. The spokesperson also assured that ongoing monitoring of its systems is underway to enhance cybersecurity measures.
According to a source cited by CNBC-TV18, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is aware of the breach and has initiated an investigation into the matter. CERT-In plays a crucial role in responding to and mitigating cybersecurity incidents in India.
The bad actor responsible for the breach has reportedly communicated three specific demands. First, they insist on having a middle-man involved in any negotiable deal. Second, there is a strict condition that there will be no splitting of the compromised data; it will either be all or nothing. Third, the actor has stated that no additional samples of the data will be provided, indicating a reluctance to disclose further details of the compromised dataset.
These demands suggest a level of caution and specificity on the part of the bad actor, underscoring the delicate and potentially contentious nature of negotiations that may follow. The involvement of authorities, both at the organizational and national levels, highlights the seriousness with which the breach is being treated and the collaborative efforts to address and mitigate its consequences. As the investigation unfolds, further details may emerge regarding the extent of the breach, the effectiveness of security measures, and the potential impact on affected individuals.
