file photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, ParkMobile, the company that operates Ridgewood’s mobile parking app, announced in March it was investigating a cybersecurity incident linked to a vulnerability in a third-party software.
The company published a notification on Mar. 26 about “a cybersecurity incident linked to a vulnerability in a third-party software that we use.”
“In response, we immediately launched an investigation with the assistance of a leading cybersecurity firm to address the incident,” the notice reads. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have also notified the appropriate law enforcement authorities. The investigation is ongoing, and we are limited in the details we can provide at this time.”
The statement continues: “Our investigation indicates that no sensitive data or Payment Card Information, which we encrypt, was affected. Meanwhile, we have taken additional precautionary steps since learning of the incident, including eliminating the third-party vulnerability, maintaining our security, and continuing to monitor our systems.”
Asked for clarification on what the attackers did access, ParkMobile confirmed it included basic account information – license plate numbers, and if provided, email addresses and/or phone numbers, and vehicle nickname.
The company’s investigation into the breach found that it included basic user information, such as license plate numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and vehicle nicknames, if provided. In some cases, mailing addresses were affected. The breach did not include credit card information or data related to a user’s parking transaction history. Encrypted passwords were accessed, but not the encryption keys required to read them.
ParkMobile completed its investigation April 15 after notifying law enforcement and eliminating the third-party vulnerability. The company encourages users to change their password in the “settings” section of the ParkMobile app or by clicking this link.
This is EXACTLY why I will NEVER use ParkMobile.
I won’t give my personal information to anyone in order to park on a public street and shop.
Agree–nor would I pay a fee to avoid pulling a few coins out. Ridiculous.
Please sue Ridgewood as a class action suit ! Towns have no excuse for making private info public!!
Any parking ticket they have ever issued justifies a class action lawsuit as they demanded this info if you wanted to park in the town, and never protected it!!!
#boycot Ridgewood !!!
Still waiting for my prior comment to be published
you censor comments you support censorship !
So what was everything not encrypted?
I do not believe your description of what was exposed!
Yet another cover up????
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/04/parkmobile-breach-exposes-license-plate-data-mobile-numbers-of-21m-users/
Shows a lot more data was sold !!!
Another Roberta ,Paul aronsohn fiasco
Ridgewood $1.25/hour
Westwood 25 cents for 2 hours
‘Nuff said.
Glen Rock Free main street 2 hours
I see my neighbors at great pizza and haircut shops . Glen rock has a good library like ridgewood
Maybe the guy who stole all the quarters needed some new income!!!
Another big f’’’’ k up from the parking authority.
What a joke !
Like we said every day there’s something else in the village.
This is the reason I was reluctant to use the app. Eventually I did install the app and I liked the convenience. The trade-off was not worth it.
I don’t like the plethora of Patient information apps that we are being forced to use. Most doctors offices can’t explain how our data is used and shared. I went to a doctor in Ridgewood recently and the third party app had marketing of related medical products in the disclosure. What happens when this app maker is sold to another business? What happens when they decide to change their privacy policy without notice?
When these companies are hacked our medical information will be on the internet. The price we pay for relying on apps for every little transaction.
Was this the engineer again?
Parking is a fiasco in Ridgewood. Rather than making the CBD more accessible to patrons, it is forcing them to go elsewhere. All the parking regulations,signs,kiosks , not to mention the costs and punitive tickets have made surrounding towns more inviting and so much easier to find cheaper parking options.
I’m done shopping in Ridgewood
I’ve even started moving my money (home branch) to banks outside Ridgewood
I’m curtailing (may eventually even stop?) dining in Ridgewood.
Not worth the inconvenience, invasion of privacy or the cost.
Park in the garage! LOL