Amazon hit with major data breach days before Black Friday

Agencies Published: 2018-11-22 10:05:32
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Amazon has suffered a major data breach that caused customer names and email addresses to be disclosed on its website, just two days ahead of Black Friday.

The e-commerce giant said it has emailed affected customers but refused to give any more details on how many people were affected or where they are based.

The icon of Amazon is pictured on an iPhone on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. [Photo: AP]

The icon of Amazon is pictured on an iPhone on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. [Photo: AP]

The firm said the issue was not a breach of its website or any of its systems, but a technical issue that inadvertently posted customer names and email addresses to its website.

In a short statement, Amazon said: “We have fixed the issue and informed customers who may have been impacted.”

Customers who received the email were told: “Our website inadvertently disclosed your email address or name and email address due to a technical error. The issue has been fixed. This is not a result of anything you have done, and there is no need for you to change your password or take any other action. The impacted customers have been contacted.”

It added: “Amazon takes all security-related matters very seriously and your account security is our top priority. We have policies and security measures in place to ensure that your personal information remains secure.”

UK data regulator the Information Commissioner’s Office, which Amazon must inform of any data breach as part of the general data protection regulation (GDPR) introduced this year, said it was following the situation.

The timing of the breach could not have been worse for Amazon. While Black Friday predominately takes place in the US around the Thanksgiving holiday, hundreds of UK retailers now also take part on what has become a multi-billion pound shopping day.

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