PGH Parking App Experiences Data Breach
The Pittsburgh Parking Authority Is Urging People Who Use Their ParkMobile App to Change Their Passwords.
After ParkMobile revealed it suffered a massive security breach, data for more than 20 million Pittsburgh parking app users was stolen, writes investigative reporter Meghan Schiller.
The PGH parking app is very popular with busy and tech-savvy Pittsburghers as it’s very easy to use – you park and walk up to the nearest meter. A number on the side correlates to your parking zone. To link the two, you need to put in some personal information.
#BREAKING: The app Pittsburgh Parking Authority uses to pay for parking on city streets/lots had a data breach, losing 21 million users’ emails, phone # s and license plate numbers. The PGH parking authority says the breach did not leak Pittsburghers’ credit card info. @KDKA pic.twitter.com/CMgbdwrXPx
— MEGHAN SCHILLER (@MeghanKDKA) April 14, 2021
The app makes it easy for Pittsburghers to pay to park. But the city’s Parking Authority says hackers broke in and stole information several weeks ago.
Last month, ParkMobile published a statement about this cybersecurity incident and said that it was linked to a vulnerability in third-party software that they are using.
We immediately launched an investigation with the assistance of a leading cybersecurity firm to address the incident. 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.
ParkMobile said hackers were able to steal passwords even though the data was encrypted. The stolen info includes license plates, email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle nicknames, and even home addresses. According to officials, no credit card information was accessed.
The app is used in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Lancaster, along with other large cities.