The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) says the personal data of some customers has been compromised in a data breach – for the second time this year.
The provincial Crown corporation said in a statement on Wednesday that it was informed an unauthorized party gained access to certain LCBO subscriber data on Aug 9.
The LCBO sends promotional emails through a third-party service provider named Conversion Digital. As a result, customers who signed-up for these promotions may be impacted.
That data breach primarily includes first names and email addresses. However, other information provided when signing up for promotional emails, including date of birth, postal code, and Aeroplan number, may also have been affected.
The LCBO clarified that passwords and financial details – including credit and debit card information – were not involved in the leak.
Since the liquor store is a government agency, the LCBO said the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has been notified.
In January, a cybersecurity incident knocked out the LCBO’s website and mobile app after an unauthorized party embedded "malicious code" on its website to obtain customer information.
The LCBO is pausing promotional emails while a third-party investigation takes place.
In the meantime, the Crown corporation is asking customers to take extra caution with unsolicited emails containing links, attachments, or requests for financial information.
