Shwapno said that hackers got into its customer database and want a ransom of $1.5 million, which is over Tk 18.3 crore. The news came out after customer names, phone numbers, and buying histories started appearing on social media.
Source: https://shwapnocheck.2bd.net/
Sabbir Hasan Nasir, the managing director of Shwapno, said hackers took over the company’s website and database in December last year. He said the attackers were seeking $1.5 million in exchange for restoring access. Nasir could not say how much data was lost. He mentioned the company is getting ready to file a case.
Shwapno has over 4 million registered customers. It has 812 stores in 63 districts. The leaked information has customer names, phone numbers, and buying records.
Nasir said the retailer, part of ACI Limited, is teaming up with local and global forensic experts and the police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit to look into the breach and improve its cyber security.
Nasir mentioned that Shwapno worked to protect its systems, but the company has not warned customers publicly that their data might be at risk.
Nasir said the company only found out about the breach recently, so no action was taken before even though it happened three months ago.
He said they do not want to compromise with this unethical hacking. “When we stated that we would not participate in any unethical dealings, they responded with threats.”
Dhaka has more than 2.1 million affected customers, making it the main area hit by the breach. Gazipur follows with 258,000 and Sylhet with 147,000. This shows a clear trend: busy and urban areas suffered the most from the attack.
Other big cities like Chattogram and Mymensingh also had significant exposure, while nearby districts like Narayanganj, Khulna, and Rangpur showed some moderate impact.