In an unsettling revelation, the Oregon Zoo has disclosed that over 100,000 visitors' credit card details were potentially compromised due to a data breach of the zoo’s online ticketing system. As reported by OregonLive, the breach was detected in the system used for processing online ticket purchases, and personal information including card numbers, CVVs, and expiration dates was possibly accessed by an unauthorized entity between Dec. 20, 2023, and June 26.
To address the incident, the zoo has been involved in remediation efforts, which included rebuilding a secure site for ticket transactions and reviewing all transactions within the affected period with letters sent out since Aug. 16 offering affected patrons a year of free credit monitoring service, as per KOIN News. The zoo's spokesperson said, "We learned that an ‘unauthorized actor’ had redirected customer transactions from the third-party vendor that processes our online ticket purchases, potentially obtaining payment card information."
The extent of the breach has been significant with a possible 117,815 people affected, 77,234 of whom are Oregon residents, according to numbers confirmed by a spokesperson for the Oregon Attorney General’s Office to KOIN News. The zoo has proactive measures in progress, aiming to stymie similar incidents in the future and offering due support to those whose information may have been compromised.
