Stellantis detects breach at third-party provider for North American customers

(Reuters) — Stellantis detected unauthorized access to a third-party service provider’s platform that supports its North American customer service operations, the company said in a statement on Sunday.

The automaker said the incident, which is under investigation, exposed only basic contact information and did not involve financial details or sensitive personal data. Stellantis did not specify how many customers were affected.

“Upon discovery, we immediately activated our incident response protocols … and are directly informing affected customers,” the Chrysler parent said in the statement.

It said it had notified authorities and urged customers to be alert to possible phishing attempts.

Automakers worldwide have reported a spate of cyber and data breaches in recent months, as increasingly sophisticated threat actors disrupt operations and compromise sensitive data.

Earlier this month, British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover said that its retail and production activities were “severely disrupted” following a cybersecurity incident, forcing its factories to stay shut until September 24.