Car company hacked

An attack on the information technology (IT) system at automotive dealership McEnearney Quality Inc. (MQI) has rendered some of its procedures inoperable, Barbados TODAY has learned.

While it was not immediately clear if the breach occurred locally, reliable sources said there was definitely a security breach of the IT system of the Wildey, St Michael company and it created a major disruption including limiting the company’s ability to even order vehicle parts.

Responding to inquiries from Barbados TODAY, the company used its communication arm to confirm  that some of its IT systems are down “due to a security incident”.

“As a precautionary measure, some of our services to customers and clients are unavailable,” the statement added.

The company did not disclose the nature of the breach or if it was able to detect where it originated, but gave the assurance that “as we carefully work through the restoration process, we are taking prudent and measured steps to ensure the integrity of our systems”.

The automotive dealership also promised to keep its clients informed of the situation.

“Our teams continue to work on this incident and towards returning services to our clients as our highest priority,” it said.

“It is also our priority to keep you informed and appraised on this situation. We take the security of our IT systems extremely seriously and regret any inconvenience. We greatly appreciate your understanding at this time,” it added.

Two months ago, experts reported an increase in fraudulent activity in Barbados during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with individuals and businesses being scammed.

It was reported then that some people were “intercepting” emails and other forms of communication and that this was being carried out by individuals locally, regionally and internationally.

Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Kirk Taitt said then, during the 11th annual Domestic Financial Institutions Conference, that several kinds of fraud were taking place including forged documents, email phishing, online romance scams and business e-mail hacks.

(marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)