Data Breach In Grand Rapids Legacy Parking App

Prior to the adoption of MOTU as the official parking app in Grand Rapids in 2018, Park Mobile was the app used by the city, and it's been reported that Park Mobile users may have had their data compromised.

According to a Grand Rapids' reddit user, their information was compromised in the breach, that is believed to have impacted over 20 million users:

ParkMobile, which used to be the app provider for parking in Grand Rapids up until 2018, was recently hacked and 21 million customers' data was stolen. I got a notification from Firefox that my e-mail address was found in this breach. I've only used ParkMobile in Grand Rapids, so if you ever parked in GR and paid with your phone from 2009 to June 2018 your data was likely stolen including your name, password hash, DOB, phone number, e-mail, mailing address and license plates. -u/freddit616 on Reddit

Although the reddit user claims that 'name, password hash, DOB, phone number, e-mail, mailing address and license plates' were all compromised, Park Mobile spokesperson Jeff Perkins tells Krebs On Security that license plate numbers, and if provided, email addresses and/or phone numbers, and vehicle nicknames may have been exposed. “In a small percentage of cases, there may be mailing addresses,” Perkins said.

According to KrebsOnSecurity.com, the data is now being sold on the internet, being especially popular on Russian hacking sites.

The first and best step to take might be to change your password if you still have your app installed. Experts also recommend using unique passwords on all of your accounts so when one is compromised, your others remain unmolested. To check if your data may be on the list, check HaveIBeenPwned.com, a website that tracks data breaches and those impacted.