Temu denies data breach, but hacker claims to have leaked 87 million databases
A cybercriminal claims he hacked Temu and stole millions in customer data, but the e-commerce giant strongly denies the claims.
A hacker going by the alias “smokinthashit” took to BreachForums, one of the most popular underground forums in the world, and advertised a new database that had reportedly been stolen from the company.
“Temu company database for sale. +87M lines. Source: temu.com. The data has never been sold before. Only one copy is sold,” the ad states.
It’s all untrue, says Temu
The ad also included a small sample, as proof of the database’s authenticity. The sample apparently contained usernames and IDs, IP addresses, full names, dates of birth, gender, shipping addresses, phone numbers, and hashed passwords. If the archive is found to be authentic, it would put many people at risk for identity theft, wire fraud, and more.
But whether the archive is authentic remains to be seen. In a statement to BleepingComputerTemu denied the claims of data theft and said nothing in the database belongs to the company:
“Temu’s security team has conducted an extensive investigation into the alleged data breach and can confirm that the claims are categorically false; the data being disseminated does not originate from our systems. Not a single line of data matches our transaction data,” Temu told the publication.
“At Temu, the safety and privacy of our users is our top priority. We follow industry-leading data protection and cybersecurity practices so consumers can shop on our platform with peace of mind.”
Temu is right to be dismissive, especially if the claims are indeed false. Sometimes, even mentioning a company in the context of a data breach is enough to drive consumers away, damaging the company’s bottom line. And with an emerging e-commerce platform like Temu, an impeccable image is crucial to success.
Temu is an online marketplace that offers a wide range of products, from clothing and electronics to homewares, at very competitive prices. It is a Chinese company, with a global presence, and sources products directly from manufacturers. The platform is designed to appeal to price-conscious consumers looking for deals across categories. Since its launch, Temu has grown rapidly, using a model similar to other discount e-commerce platforms.
Via BleepingComputer