Bonobos, a Walmart subsidiary and online men's clothing and accessories store, has reported a data breach that left millions of customers' personal information exposed, according to BleepingComputer.

The twist: The breach did not the Bonobos or Walmart corporate networks. Instead, hackers stole the Bonobos backup database from a third-party cloud service provider (CSP).  Indeed, the hackers accessed a 70 GB SQL backup file hosted in an external cloud environment, and then the perpetrators published the information to a free hacker forum.

Bonobos did not disclose the name of the backup software provider and the underlying cloud infrastructure provider.

The attack is a timely reminder for MSPs and MSSPs: Locking down and monitoring end-customer networks represents only part of the risk mitigation equation. Tracking and protecting customer data -- no matter where it resides -- is now paramount amid the cloud, mobile and work from home (WFH) technology waves.

Cloud Backup Breach: Painful Lesson

Failing to lock down cloud data can trigger some painful business and technology lessons. In the Bonobos data breach, for instance, the following customer information wound up exposed:

  • Addresses
  • Phone numbers
  • Partial credit card numbers (last four digits)
  • Order information
  • Password histories

The exposed Bonobos database did not include full customer payment information, BleepingComputer indicated. However, hackers can use the compromised data in targeted phishing attacks.

How Should Bonobos Users Respond to the Cyberattack?

Bonobos has confirmed the data breach and begun notifying its users about incident, according to BleepingComputer. The company is asking users to change their passwords and use unique passwords on its website.

In addition, Bonobos is urging users to watch for emails asking for credit card or login information, BleepingComputer reported. These emails could be targeted phishing scams related to the data breach.

Bonobos also has turned off access points, invalidated account passwords and taken other precautionary steps to help users following the data breach, the company said. It will continue to update its users about the data breach as well.