Mon, Feb 06, 2023 page3

• iRent apologizes after user data compromised

  COMPENSATION PLAN: Over 400,000 users would benefit, the company said, after a Web site reported that a database had not been password protected

  • Staff Writer, with CNA
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  Vehicle-sharing platform iRent on Saturday apologized for an incident that risked the exposure of personal data of its more than 400,000 users.

  Ho Ing Mobility Service, a subsidiary of automotive conglomerate Hotai Motor Co that runs the platform, said in a statement that it had compensated its users with free hours, which can be redeemed when booking vehicles.

  The company said e-mail notifications regarding the issue were sent to users on Wednesday and the compensation mechanism was implemented a day later.

  

  A person holds a smartphone displaying information about vehicle-sharing platform iRent in front of an iRent scooter in an undated photograph.

  Photo courtesy of Ho Ing Mobility Service

  Ho Ing said its initial assessment found that the data of about 140,000 people had been affected over the past three months.

  However, it notified and compensated more than 400,000 users who opened iRent accounts since the implementation of the affected database, as it seeks to demonstrate its commitment to safeguarding users from potential fraud, the company said.

  Ho Ing reiterated that it immediately corrected the problem as soon as it was made aware of it on Jan. 28.

  It thanked government agencies for their guidance and assistance in dealing with the issue.

  On Wednesday, a senior official at the Ministry of Digital Affairs said the ministry took action to secure an iRent database that contained the personal information of tens of thousands of users after US-based researchers found that it was not password protected.

  The Web site TechCrunch first reported the issue on Tuesday last week, saying that the database was on a cloud server owned by Hotai Motor that “was inadvertently accessible from the Internet.”

  “Because the database was not password-protected, anyone on the Internet could access the iRent customer data just by knowing its IP address,” the Web site said.

  The databank contained the names, mobile phone numbers, e-mail addresses, home addresses, drivers’ license photographs and partially redacted payment card details of iRent users.

  TechCrunch said it had reviewed part of the exposed data and confirmed the findings of security researcher Anurag Sen, who discovered the issue.

  It said it sent several e-mails to Hotai Motor about the exposed database, without receiving a reply, and contacted the ministry, which it said dealt with the issue, the report said.

  Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Lee Huai-jen (李懷仁) confirmed that Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳) was informed of the issue by a foreign media outlet during the Lunar New Year holiday.

  Because it was an information security incident involving a private company, Tang referred the case to the Taiwan Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center, which is run by the ministry-affiliated Taiwan Network Information Center, Lee said.

  The coordination center blocked outside access to the database, Lee added.
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