Cartier became the latest major brand to be hit by a cybersecurity breach, according to a letter to its customers posted on social media and a report by Reuters.
“An unauthorized party gained temporary access to our system and obtained limited client information,” Cartier’s letter said. “We contained the issue and have further enhanced the protection of our systems and data.
“Based on our investigation, we determined that the incident may have affected some of your information, specifically your name, e-mail address, country, and date of birth,” it added. “The affected information did not include any passwords, credit card details, or other banking information.”
Cartier said it had notified “the relevant authorities and [is] working with external cybersecurity experts.”
The company recommended clients “remain alert for any unsolicited communications or any other suspicious correspondence.”
The hack of the Richemont-owned jeweler comes the same week that the North Face and Victoria’s Secret reported similar breaches.
Jewelers’ Security Alliance CEO Jennifer Mulvihill tells JCK: “We are seeing an increase in cybersecurity attacks against luxury goods retailers. The luxury goods industry is a target-rich environment because of the data of high-net-worth individuals they store and valuable intellectual property.
“This sector will benefit from increased security measures such as multi-factor authentication and strong password policies, to keep pace with other sectors that have been targeted in the past and successfully strengthened their defenses,” Mulvihill says.
Cartier did not return a request for comment by press time.
(Photo: Getty Images)
