Zoomcar users’ personal data has been stolen in a data breach where hackers gained unauthorised access to its information systems, the car-sharing platform has confirmed.
At least 84 lakh customers were affected in the security incident that took place on June 9, according to a Zoomcar filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The Bengaluru-based company said it had become aware of the data breach after a few of its employees received external communications from a threat actor who claimed responsibility for the data breach.
Personal data stolen in the data breach includes the names, phone numbers, and car registration numbers of users. However, Zoomcar said that it had no evidence of hackers gaining access to financial information such as plaintext passwords and other sensitive identifiers.
“Upon discovery, the company promptly activated its incident response plan,” Zoomcar said in its filing.
“In response to the incident, the company has taken immediate actions to contain the threat and enhance its security posture. These measures include implementing additional safeguards across the cloud and internal network, increasing system monitoring, and reviewing access controls,” the company said.
“The company is also engaging with third-party cybersecurity experts to further assist with the investigation. The company has also notified the appropriate regulatory and law enforcement authorities and is cooperating fully with their inquiries,” it added.
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Zoomcar also said that the data breach had not impacted its operations. “However, the Company continues to evaluate the scope and potential impacts of the event, including legal, financial, and reputational considerations, as well as any associated remediation costs,” it said.
Zoomcar was founded in 2013 as a platform through which customers could rent cars on a monthly, weekly, daily, and hourly basis. In 2023, the company merged with an American blank-check firm called Innovative International Acquisition Corp (IOAC) and became a US‑listed public company registered in Delaware. Hence, it had to report the security incident in adherence to SEC financial reporting standards.
Currently, Zoomcar operates in 99 cities with over 25,000 cars and more than 10 million users. Besides India, it is also available in Egypt, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In February this year, the company saw a 19 per cent surge in car rental bookings from the year ago period with contribution profit growing by 500 per cent to $1.28 million and net loss at $7.9 million.
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