13cabs Data Breach Exposes User Data

Summary

13cabs, Australia’s largest taxi service, suffered a data breach in March 2025, potentially compromising personal information of thousands of users. Exposed data included usernames, addresses, phone numbers, and Taxi Subsidy Scheme eligibility, but no financial data was compromised. The breach highlights the growing risk of cyberattacks and the importance of robust security measures.

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** Main Story**

Alright, let’s talk about the 13cabs data breach – a pretty serious wake-up call, if you ask me. Back in March 2025, Australia’s biggest taxi company, 13cabs, had a confirmed data breach that exposed personal info of a bunch of users across both its 13cabs and Silver Service platforms. I mean, we’re talking about a company with over 10,000 cars operating in pretty much every major Aussie city. They noticed some unauthorized activity on March 14th, 2025, and jumped right into an internal investigation, which is good, and they roped in some cybersecurity specialists too.

The Nitty-Gritty of the Breach

What exactly was compromised? Well, usernames, addresses, phone numbers and, in some cases, eligibility for the Taxi Subsidy Scheme. Now, 13cabs was quick to point out that no credit card or bank account details were touched, which is definitely a silver lining. They haven’t given the exact number of affected accounts, but its apparently around 1.1% of their total user base. And let’s be real, with over a million downloads of the 13cabs app, that 1.1% translates to a whole lot of people having their data exposed.

On the upside, 13cabs did force password resets for potentially compromised accounts and notified affected users through SMS and email. Plus, they’re offering full refunds to anyone whose account was used for unauthorized access. Also, they’re working with technical and legal experts and notified the OAIC and, they plan to notify the police too.

Dark Web Shenanigans

Now, here’s where it gets a bit more interesting and, frankly, a little scary. It looks like the unauthorized activity probably came from data found on the dark web. Think credential stuffing – where hackers use login details stolen from other breaches to break into accounts. It just highlights the importance of having different, strong passwords for everything, right? As of April 8, 2025, the investigation is still ongoing, but 13cabs says they’ll keep us updated which, fingers crossed, they actually do.

So, what can you do to protect yourself?

This whole mess is a stark reminder of how common these cyberattacks are and how vulnerable our online data can be. So, for anyone who uses 13cabs, or any online platform for that matter, here’s what you can do to stay safe:

• Password Power: Use strong, unique passwords. Seriously, don’t reuse the same password for everything!
• MFA is Your Friend: Turn on multi-factor authentication wherever you can. It adds an extra layer of security.
• Keep an Eye on Things: Check your bank and credit card statements regularly for anything fishy.
• Be Suspicious: Be careful of emails or messages asking for personal information. Phishing is still a huge problem.
• Stay Alert: Keep up with the latest cybersecurity news and advice.

Look, this 13cabs thing really highlights the need for everyone – both us as individuals and the companies we use – to be extra careful about online security. 13cabs is trying to fix things, but it’s also on us to take steps to protect our own data. What do you think, are companies doing enough to safeguard our information, or is there still a long way to go?