Alleged Heineken data breach targets sensitive employee data

Dark Web actor 888 on BreachForums alleged a Heineken data breach. The cyber intrusion, according to the threat actor's post, surfaced on the dark web forum on Monday and reportedly leaked databases containing information on “8,174 employees from multiple countries.”

The Cyber ​​Express analyzed a portion of the data samples provided by the threat actor and found that they contained sensitive information about the company's employees, including ID numbers, emails and employee roles within the organization.

This data set is very sensitive, as malicious actors could use this data for various malicious practices, including phishing, blackmail, and impersonation of employees and managers.

Decoding Heineken data breach allegations

The threat actor, identified as 888, has claimed similar breaches in the past and for this cyber intrusion, the hackers listed the names of several employees, along with their email addresses and work profiles.

Employee names and associated email addresses, as well as their responsibilities at Heineken, were identified as a “sample” in the shared data.

The Cyber ​​Express has contacted Heineken for additional information regarding the veracity of the data breach. However, at the time of writing, no official statement or response has been received, thus, claims regarding the Heineken data leak remain unfounded.

The Heineken website appears to be functioning regularly despite the alleged Heineken data leak. This suggests that the attack could have been directed against particular datasets or databases rather than the company's websites.

This observation indicates a more targeted strategy on the part of the threat actor, who may attempt to obtain confidential employee data without disrupting the system by deploying techniques such as DDoS attacks or website vandalism.

Previous cybersecurity incident

Heineken has already faced cybersecurity issues, before this event. More than 1.5 million people were affected by a major data breach in the Netherlands in which the organization was involved in March 2023. This Heineken-specific data breach, which involves the software provider of a market research agency, compromised information from multiple sources, including survey respondents for Heineken Sponsored Events.

Personal information such as gender, age, education, province and email addresses were among the data leaked in the previous incident. Heineken, along with other affected entities, promptly informed those affected by the breach and reported the incident to the relevant authorities, including the Dutch Data Protection Authority.

As for the current TA 888 claims, this is an ongoing story and The Cyber ​​Express will be monitoring the situation closely. We will update this article once we have more information about the alleged 888 breach or any official confirmation regarding the authenticity or denial of the intrusion.

Media Disclaimer: The information presented on this website comes from various internal and external research. While we strive to ensure accuracy, the information is provided for reference purposes only and is not independently verified.

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