Jamaica reports more cases of cyber attack
Cyber security consultant Gavin Dennis has shed light on a concerning trend in Jamaica, where a significant number of cyber attacks remain undisclosed to the public.
In an interview with Radio Jamaica News on Monday, Dennis emphasized the alarming frequency of local data breaches, urging greater awareness of the issue.
Recent data breaches raise concerns
Reports are that over the weekend, disturbing revelations emerged as e-commerce platforms ShopCourts.com and PriceSmart became the latest victims of data breaches.
Mr. Dennis underscored the gravity of these incidents, emphasizing their impact on both individuals and businesses in the region.
A disturbing weekly trend
Dennis disclosed that the situation is far from isolated, stating that at least every week, there is some other entity that is being compromised.
He noted that while some of these incidents make it to the media, many remain private. He added that in such cases, persons turn to companies and individuals like him for assistance in resolving the cyber threats they face.
The changing landscape of crime
Highlighting the evolving nature of criminal activities, Dennis drew attention to the reduced physical risks associated with cybercrime compared to traditional forms of criminal behavior.
He explained that Cyber crime is something that does pay, adding that it is very lucrative for a lot of criminals.
He further shared that it also has less physical risk, noting that there is also a significant lower risk of them being caught and going to prison or them facing physical harm due to altercation with the police out on the street.
ShopCourts data breach exposes vulnerabilities
On Sunday, Dennis shared on X, formally Twitter the troubling incident related to the ShopCourts data breach.
He shared that hackers claimed to have stolen data on up to 200,000 orders from the ShopCourts website.
Reports are that these cybercriminals leaked a sample of customer records spanning from 2013 to 2023, impacting multiple Caribbean countries, including Jamaica.
Dennis shared that access to the data from the ShopCourts website is being sold online and was published on August 29 this year.
PriceSmart falls victim to hackers
Dennis further revealed that AlphV hackers, also known as Black Cat, announced the theft of over 500 gigabytes of sensitive data pertaining to both customers and employees of PriceSmart.
This revelation follows the group’s earlier admission of responsibility for a high-profile hack at Derrimon Trading, further underscoring the growing threat of cyber attacks in the region.
Reports are that this is the same group that claimed responsibility for the hack at Derrimon Trading.
