14 DAY TRIAL // Honda Canada informed customers that their personal information was compromised after hackers obtained unauthorized access to one of its databases.
The exposed data was collected back in 2009 as part of campaigns related to the MyHonda website. It includes names, addresses, Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN), and in some circumstances, Honda Financial Services (HFS) account numbers.
"The information did not include any data that would typically be used for identity theft or fraud such as birth dates, telephone numbers, email addresses, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, driver’s license numbers, social insurance numbers, or dollar amounts of HFS financing or payments," the company says.
The data can, however, be used to mount phishing attacks to trick users into exposing more sensitive information about themselves. Because of this, Honda warns customers to be on the lookout for spam emails.
"Honda does not share its customer information with unauthorized third parties and does not contact customers asking for financial information," the company stresses.
Affected customers were alerted via email and the company set up a toll free hotline available 24/7 at 1-800-839-2826.
According to The Toronto Star, the number of car owners affected by the breach is estimated at around 283,000. The company first detected suspicious activity on the myHonda and myAcura sites back in February. It's not immediately clear why it waited until May to warn customers.
This is the second data breach suffered by the automobile manufacturer in the past six months. Back in December, American Honda Motor Co. informed customers that an intrusion at its email marketing services provider Silverpop resulted in their account information being stolen.
The breach also affected Owner Link and myAcura site members and involved names, user IDs, email addresses and Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN).