- The best pet insurance for dogs can increase your cybersecurity.
- Data breach exposes over 56,000 pet records and exposes cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
- Pet medical and microchip data highlight risks to pet safety.
Cybersecurity is so strict these days that even pets aren’t safe. In a world where digital data breaches are increasingly common, affecting financial institutions, medical records, and personal information, the scope of cyber threats seems to be expanding to our four-legged friends. Therefore, the best pet insurance for your dog may be one that provides increased cybersecurity.
Not so long ago, the idea of pets tinkering with high-tech gadgets was pure science fiction. Now, let’s change the story. According to him, 83% of pet owners in North America and Europe have jumped on the pet technology bandwagon. wall street journal.
Will this intrusion of technology make our furry friends (and us) more susceptible to cyber threats?
Unfortunately, it does. Connectivity means vulnerability.
Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler recent discoveries Major data breaches highlight this new dimension of digital security. A recent breach involved an insecure database containing more than 56,000 records, exposing not only owner data but also pets’ medical records, DNA test results, and detailed pedigree histories.
Impact of data breaches on pets and their insurance
Fowler’s discovery was shocking because it involved records of thousands of dogs around the world and information about their owners. This database is publicly available on cloud storage and contains 56,624 documents in PDF, .png, and .jpg formats, reaching a capacity of 25 GB. His research revealed that the database was related to the World Australian Labradoodle Association (WALA). This international organization champions the Australian Labradoodle breed and maintains high standards in breeding practices, if not cyber hygiene.
Because of WALA’s global presence (headquartered in Washington, USA, with regional offices on many continents), Fowler’s discovery included documents from a variety of countries in its database. He immediately sent a responsible disclosure notice to his WALA, but it was not until several days later that the database was secured.
WALA focuses on uniting Australian Labradoodle breeders around the world to ensure high breeding standards and establish a detailed and accurate database to store pedigree and health information, according to its website. I’m leaving it there. The documents leaked in the breach were comprehensive, including the dogs’ medical reports, DNA tests, pedigree details, and information about the dogs’ owners, veterinarians, and testing facilities. The data included name, address, contact number, and email address.
This breach is a major concern for pets in this field, where the American Pet Products Association (APPA) reports that a significant portion of U.S. households own pets and spend a significant amount of money each year on pet-related expenses. Highlights the often overlooked impact of healthcare data breaches.
Growing Concern: Pet Insurance Fraud and Microchip Risks
The breach also raised concerns about the risk of pet insurance fraud. Given that the best pet insurance policies for dogs cover a variety of scenarios, from accidents to daily care, leaking such sensitive information could be exploited to make fraudulent insurance claims. There is a possibility. Looking at past trends, there has been a notable increase in pet insurance fraud, particularly from 2010 to 2015. The North American Pet Health Insurance Association’s 2022 report details the significant number of pets insured and the large premiums paid. Current data on the prevalence of fraud in this area is not publicly available.
An additional risk factor identified in the recent breach was the compromise of pet microchip numbers. Microchips can help identify and recover lost pets, but pose potential risks if they are fraudulently disclosed along with owner details. Given the high value of certain breeds, such as Labradoodles, criminals can exploit this information to falsely claim ownership of lost or stolen pets.
Beyond the risk of pet theft, there are also concerns about social engineering tactics where criminals impersonate authority figures to extract personal and financial information from pet owners, which can lead to fraud and identity theft.
Mr Fowler stressed the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of your pet’s microchip number and being wary of requests for related information. He advised pet owners to verify the identity of anyone asking for such details and to report any suspicious activity to the relevant microchip registry or local authority. The database disclosure highlights the need for robust data security measures and highlights the diverse and often unforeseen consequences of data breaches.
Protection from data breaches and fraud
The phenomenon of “puppy fraud” includes a variety of deceptive activities related to the sale of dogs, often including advertisements for puppies that present non-existent or false “pedigrees.” A common scam is “breeder identity theft,” where scammers impersonate legitimate breeders to defraud buyers. Such scams include classified websites and advertisements on social media. Purchasers should exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of the breeder’s identity and credentials. Buyers should be wary of sellers offering high-value pedigree puppies for mysteriously low prices and avoid making payments or wire transfers without verifying the animal’s authenticity.
The WALA database breach contains extensive pet health records and breeder information, posing a potential risk if it is exploited by criminals to misrepresent ownership or breeding rights of specific dogs. The extent of access to records by unauthorized persons remains unclear. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) in the US reported in its 2021 Fraud Tracker that 24% of online scams are pet scams.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that less than 10% of fraud victims report their incidents, so the number of victims could increase significantly. In 2022, Australians reported losing more than A$3.5 million to pet-related scams, and in the UK there was a 39% increase in such scams from 2020 to 2021, with the average loss being around £1,400.
The length of exposure of the WALA database and the extent of access by unauthorized individuals is unknown. There is no direct claim that criminals have accessed the exposed documents, so there is no specific risk of fraud. Similarly, there are no related allegations of wrongdoing by WALA or that its members faced any direct threats. The focus here is to highlight the potential risks associated with data breaches, particularly those that may compromise the privacy and security of individuals or entities within such databases.
This incident not only highlights the pervasive impact of cybersecurity in our daily lives, but also reminds us that virtually every aspect of our lives is immune to cyber threats, including our pets’ information. There are also things.
Therefore, the best pet insurance for your dog may simply be more cybersecurity.