UAE's Landmark Group probes data breach in Shukran loyalty programme

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The UAE's Landmark Group is investigating a cyber incident involving “unauthorised access” to its Shukran loyalty programme, it said on Wednesday.The customer information involved…

The UAE's Landmark Group is investigating a cyber incident involving “unauthorised access” to its Shukran loyalty programme, it said on Wednesday.

The customer information involved includes names, contact details and dates of birth, the Dubai-based retail and hospitality conglomerate said.

However, debit and credit card details were not compromised, as those are not stored on its system, Landmark Group said. Shukran points, which are redeemed for perks and discounts, are also unaffected.

Landmark did not specify the severity of the breach, but it said any customers receiving text messages from the company about the incident could be affected.

“We recently identified an incident involving unauthorised access to one of our systems. We acted immediately to contain it,” Landmark said. “We have also informed the relevant statutory and law enforcement authorities and are actively investigating the matter.”

Landmark Group is one of the biggest retail corporates in the UAE, with more than 20 brands including fashion retailers Max, Splash and Centrepoint, electronics store Emax, Home Centre, Fitness First and Viva supermarket.

It operates in all the Gulf countries, plus Egypt, Jordan, India, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Cyber breaches are increasing as bad actors try to make financial gains or steal user data, prompting companies to strengthen their network defences.

As well as financial damage, attacks on systems can have reputational consequences. According to IBM's latest Cost of a Data Breach report, the average cost of a data breach for organisations in the Middle East hit $8 million this year.

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