A few weeks back, I wrote about how someone hacked my Grubhub account and placed an order. I’d saved the Amex Gold Card to my Grubhub account profile in order to use the dining credit. Thankfully, a prompt Apple pay notification alerted me. Amex took care of the rest. In what could only be termed as yet another bizarre incident, hackers were able to breach Foodpanda Singapore’s Instagram account.
Foodpanda Singapore
Foodpanda is a popular delivery app, similar to the Grubhubs and Uber Eats of the world. Headquartered in Germany, the company runs business in 40 countries around the the world. After the hackers gained access to the Instagram account, they changed the account’s username to ‘Osama’. The original logo was replaced with the photo of a masked child. The hackers set the location of the account to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
After gaining access to the account, the hackers had a field day. Foodpanda’s follower numbers kept fluctuating during the entire course of the day. The hackers removed some of original content and replaced it with troll content, ranging from Batman memes to anime videos.
When customers complained about Foodpanda’s service, the hackers responded by showering actual customers with profanities.
Foodpanda’s Response
Foodpanda acknowledged the occurrence of the incident via a statement on Facebook.
“Over the weekend, Foodpanda Singapore’s Instagram account was hacked. We apologise for any inappropriate messages you might have received during this time and we are working hard to resolve this issue.”
“In the meantime, please do not respond to any activity from this account and we’ll update you as soon as the issue is resolved.”
The Pundit’s Mantra
This hack further illustrated how vulnerable we are in this day and age. We love the connectivity that comes with all the devices that we use. Every security breach shines a light on just how shaky things can get once the wrong people get access to the data and devices that we carry. This breach also shines a light on how brands need to be on their toes when it comes to managing and securing their social media channels.
I’d strongly recommend that you always pay attention to notifications and alerts that your bank or credit card company sends to you. In this connected world of ours, it always helps to be vigilant at all times.
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H/T: The Drum
