Experts Warn boAt Users To Beware Of Unsuspecting, Uninitiated Contacts

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New Delhi: Homegrown audio and wearable brand boAt has initiated an investigation into a potential data breach involving its customer information. This development has prompted experts to advise users to remain vigilant for any unexpected or unsolicited communications from the company or associated services.

These communications may request additional information, such as passwords or two-factor authentication codes, raising concerns about potential security risks for boAt customers. Multiple reports have suggested that the cyber breach may have exposed the data of more than 7.5 million boAt customers. (Bajaj Allianz Life Introduces Premium Payment Options On WhatsApp)

"The breach revealed that over 7.5 million customers' sensitive information, including names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, and customer IDs, has been compromised and is now circulating on the dark web," Maheswaran S, Country Manager South Asia, Varonis, told IANS. ()

"This trove of data presents a lucrative opportunity for cybercriminals to orchestrate targeted and sophisticated social engineering attacks," he added. In the 2023 IBM Cost of a Data Breach report, the average cost of a data breach for organisations reached $4.45 million, while the average cost per record reached $165, a nominal increase from 2022, which saw the average cost per record reach $164.

According to Tenable's senior staff research engineer Satnam Narang, the more sensitive information present in stolen data, the higher asking price can be expected. "In the case of the alleged boAt data breach, it’s been reported that it is being sold by the attacker for a little over a few $2 or around Rs 160," Narang said.

In addition, Harshil Doshi, Country Director, India & SAARC, Securonix, advised that affected users should change their account passwords, deploy two-factor authentication, stay alert for any social engineering attacks and look out for further updates from the company. A boAt's Spokesperson said that the company is aware of recent data breach claims and "safeguarding customer data is our top priority." (With IANS Inputs)