Starbucks App Hacked

Starbucks and tech. The two go together like cold pizza and bachelors. When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, who did he prank call? There you go.

But in this case, that association is not as great as the press makes it out to be. Take the news from Starbucks that criminals have been exploiting its rewards program and mobile phone app by ordering up gift cards for themselves.

While initial reports pointed to the app’s auto-reload feature as being the vulnerability, CNN Money is reporting a case in which an account was broken into and the auto-reload feature was turned on.

Starbucks reports that its customers account information is safe on its end. The company believes that weak passwords on the part of the customers are the culprit and reimbursed those who have been affected.

It’s another example of the importance of adhering to security tips such as not reusing passwords and using a password manager to organize and create unique passwords for every app and website. Even if you haven’t been hit, intrusions like these are a good reminder to change your passwords periodically.

Some are saying Starbucks could have done more with two-factor identification or using biometric information like fingerprint sensors, but paying attention to basic security practices is always a good place to start.

Via CNN Money.  Photo by jpellgen/flickr.