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Amazon data breach reveals customers’ personal information

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In November 2018, Amazon suffered a data breach that resulted in customers’ personal details being disclosed on their website. Speaking after the incident, Amazon claimed that the breach was caused by a technical issue that inadvertently posted customers’ names and email addresses to the site.

Amazon have said that any customers affected by the breach were informed and that the issue was fixed. They went on to advise customers that there was no need for them to update their account details, such as changing passwords.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was also made aware of the situation.

Speaking in a statement regarding the breach, Amazon said:

We have fixed the issue and informed customers who may have been impacted.

The email sent out to affected customers read:

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.

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.

While Amazon said that it was not necessary for customers to change their password, cyber security experts suggested otherwise, cautioning that cybercriminals could do plenty of damage if they were able to access the types of personal information exposed.

Our expertise with data breaches

Hayes Connor is home to one of the largest team of data breach claims specialists in the country. With a wealth of experience and an excellent track record of success, we can guide clients through dealing with any situation where personal data has been lost, stolen or otherwise exposed.

If your data has been exposed or potentially exposed in a data breach, you can take a look at our guide to what to do if your data has been stolen in a data breach.

You can find out more about our expertise and how we handle data breach claims here.

To see how we can help with a data breach, you can use our online claim form or speak to a member of our team by calling 0151 363 5895.