Garbage, recycling pickup apps hacked for email addresses

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This article was published 18/4/2018 (840 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg city hall has confirmed a data breach on two smartphone apps that help homeowners track garbage and recycling day pickup schedules.

A civic spokeswoman said the operators of the My Waste and Recycle Coach apps confirmed a breach that involved the email addresses of potentially 3,500 users.

"The only information that was breached was email addresses, and that breach has been contained. We continue to work with Recycle Coach/My Waste to address the breach and ensure that customer email addresses are protected in the future," the spokeswoman said in an email to the Free Press.

"We would like to reassure members of the public that the city is committed to protecting their privacy and can confirm that there has been no breach of personal information held by the city."

Media reports said users of the Recycle Coach and My Waste apps, which are both owned by Toronto-based Municipal Media Inc., were notified Tuesday the databases had been accessed by unauthorized parties and some users’ email addresses could have been compromised.

The spokeswoman said the City of Winnipeg has a contract with Municipal Media to provide Winnipeg customers with a garbage, recycling and yard-waste collection schedule, as well as information on what can and can’t be recycled.

CTV reported Municipal Media advised Winnipeg app users to stay alert for any suspicious emails posing as Recycle Coach and My Waste, and not to click links customers don’t recognize.