US fitness chain Town Sports International has suffered a data breach after a database containing the personal information of over 600,000 people was exposed online . Town Sports International is the owner of well-known US fitness centers and gyms, including New York Sports Clubs, Boston Sports Clubs, Philadelphia Sports Clubs, Washington Sports Clubs, Lucille Roberts and Total Woman Gym and Spa.
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 resulting in the suspension and closure of many businesses, including gyms, Town Sports International was forced to file for bankruptcy on September 14, 2020.
As BleepingComputer reports, in a new report from Comparitech, a database belonging to Town Sports International was discovered and analyzed by security researcher Bob Diachenko. The database that was exposed in the data breach includes files for over 600,000 people, including members and staff of the chain. The personal information exposed includes, among other things, names, addressesaddresses email, the last four digits of credit card numbers, credit card expiration dates, and a member's billing history.
According to reports, the database that was exposed online was secured the next day and the information contained in it is no longer accessible.
It is currently unknown whether hackers have gained access to this database in the past.
However, to keep Town Sports International members and staff safe, it is best to assume that someone other than the researchers may have accessed the data and is targeting them with phishing emails. In other words, scammers can use personal information from the database to make the message seem more convincing. Phishing emails typically contain links to phishing pages that appear authentic, legitimate, and often identical to the official Town Sports International site, but are actually replicas designed to steal passwords or payment information.
Therefore, all Town Sports International customers should be particularly careful when visiting sites contained in emails that refer to their gym membership.
