Zivame, an online lingerie store based in India, has allegedly been breached with the data of over 1.5 million users up for sale online. Zivame data breach is the latest in the long chain of Indian e-retailers that faced cyber attacks.
The stolen information from the Zivame data breach includes the names, emails, numbers, and addresses of the customers.
According to reports, the cybercriminal group behind the alleged Zivame data breach was also linked to the Rentomojo cyber attack, the furniture rental startup. The group ‘ShinyHunters’ claimed to steal data belonging to nearly 1.5 lakh users from the Indian furniture company.
While the Rentomojo cyber attack incident was confirmed by the company, Zivame is yet to release any official statement addressing the Zivame data breach.
A large customer base and an equally large access points make Indian e-retail a low-hanging fruit for cybercriminals and data pilferers. It’s official: Indian e-retail has a cybersecurity problem.
Zivame data breach, hacker provides proof
The India Today Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) team, disguised as a customer, spoke with the cybercriminals regarding the stolen data. The cybercriminals claimed to sell all the stolen data from Zivame for $500 in cryptocurrencies, an India Today report read.
The cybercriminal claimed that the data was not leaked when they were approached. Only a sample dataset of over 1,500 users was provided as proof. The sample data contained names, addresses, and other contact information.
The news media contacted the individuals whose details were found in the dark web samples. They confirmed that it was their genuine information.
The Cyber Express emailed the company seeking confirmation about the alleged Zivame data breach. We will update the report post receiving a reply.
ShinyHunters became popular in 2020 when they claimed to steal over 200 million records from 13 companies. They also claimed a Microsoft data breach stealing source code from their private GitHub accounts.
The hacker group targets customers using Microsoft Office 365 and companies that store GitHub open authorization tokens.
They look for employee credentials from companies and GitHub repository code for vulnerabilities to gain access to systems.
Indian data breach statistics in the past few years
Data breaches have been found to have fallen by 75% in 2023, according to reports. This was because nearly 65 accounts in India were earlier hacked in a minute which dropped to 16 accounts per minute in Q1 2023.
This was despite India’s ranking in the 7th position among the most cyber-breached nations, globally. Over 8.5 million accounts were leaked in Q4 of 2022 which dropped to 2 million in Q1 of 2023.
2022 was the worst for India in terms of data breaches with the cyber attack on Delhi’s All-India Institute of Medical Sciences drawing attention to security gaps in systems. Of nearly 829 million cyber attacks globally in the fourth quarter of 2022, nearly 59% were Indian entities.
CERT-In found nearly 3,94,499 cyber incidents in 2019 and about 11,58,208 in 2020. In 2021, the number increased to 14,02,809.
A major cause for data breaches in India was found to be human errors as was with most other countries and organizations across the globe.
This reiterates the need for training in maintaining adequate cyber hygiene and not just the work areas of each employee.
Maintaining security from data breaches and preserving systems from cyber attacks
As preventive measures, it is important to enable remote monitoring of the network for detecting threats.
Besides monitoring, having data backups can help if the compromised systems were erased post the cyber attack. Automated remote backup systems can make it easier to keep a tab on data security.
Keeping only the data that a company requires and is legally entitled to be a must failing which the stored data gets vulnerable to hacks and further investigation from legal authorities.
Data retention standards must be strictly adhered to by companies to avoid amassing sensitive user information.
Not just online credentials, it is important to destroy or safely maintain physical documents that can be misused by criminals or insider threats. With most of the security tools in place, it is imperative to have the employee know how to report threats.
Indian e-retail has a cybersecurity problem
In the past decade, India’s online retail market has undergone a major transformation with experts predicting the the Indian e-commerce to cross $350 Bn mark by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 23%.
Another report released by consulting firm Bain & Company estimates India’s e-retail market to grow at 25-30% annual growth, with its shopper base expected to increase to 400–450 million by 2027, surpassing the US in the next couple of years.
However, the upward growth trajectory has also drawn the attention of cybercriminals, who are now targeting India’s online retail industry.
According to the Sophos State of Ransomware 2021, India’s retail industry is the most vulnerable to ransomware attack, with the hackers attacking unsecure local businesses.
Cybercriminals, as reported by Inc42 Media, are targeting retail ecommerce companies mainly for two reasons. One, quick access to sensitive data, both financial and personal. Second, e-retail, especially those that cropped up post the Covid-19 outbreak, are more susceptible to sophisticated cyber attacks since they have little to no focus on cyber security.
Moreover, the report highlighted that though customers trust the e-retailers, there can be major loopholes in the security that may not be able to prevent cyber attacks by seasoned cyber criminals.
Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means. The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.