• Australia's largest state hits record-high COVID-19 cases despite weeks of strict lockdown. 'It's a tinderbox ready to explode,' one official said.
• eToro says crypto made up 73% of trading commissions in the last quarter, as retail customers dived in
• A flight attendant says she was too exhausted to report a passenger who shoved her when a flight was overbooked: report
• US jobless claims climb for first time in 5 weeks, to 353,000

PUB CHAIN JD Wetherspoon confirmed today it had customer details stolen online after its old website was hacked earlier this year.

The company says the database for its old website, containing details on 656,723 of its customers, was hacked in June.

Wetherspoon said in an email sent to customers it “cannot confirm” who exactly has been affected yet.

100 customers who bought Wetherspoon vouchers online have had their credit and debit card information stolen, but the company says the data accessed was “extremely limited” — only the last four digits of the card were visible.

The information was not encrypted.

So far there has been no evidence these card details have been used.

For the majority of customers however, the database contained names, phone numbers, dates of birth, and email addresses for customers.

Your information could be in the breach if you’ve done the following:

• Signed up to receive the company newsletter, usually via the company website
• Registered with ‘The Cloud’ in order to use Wifi in its pubs and opt to receive company information
• Purchased Wetherspoon vouchers online between January 2009 and August 2014
• Submitted a ‘Contact Us’ form

The Three Tun Tavern at the site of the old Tonic Bar in Blackrock. Three Tun Tavern Three Tun Tavern

Wetherspoon CEO John Hutson said in an email to customers:

“Remain vigilant for any emails that you are not expecting, that specifically ask you for personal or financial information, or request you to click on links or download information.”

The company has hired “a leading cyber security specialist to conduct a full forensic investigation into the breach”.

The company says it has a new partner managing its new website.

Hutson said in a statement today:

We apologise wholeheartedly to customers and staff who have been affected. Unfortunately, hacking is becoming more and more sophisticated and widespread. We are determined to respond to this by increasing our efforts and investment in security and will be doing everything possible to prevent a recurrence.

Irish customers

A spokesperson told TheJournal.ie there was no information currently available on how many Irish customers might be affected.

The first Irish JD Wetherspoon opened its doors in Blackrock, Co Dublin in July of 2014.

It has since opened four pubs in the capital and a fifth in Cork, with further launches expected in Waterford and Carlow and off Abbey Street in Dublin city centre.

With reporting from Daragh Brophy.

Read: JD Wetherspoon will turn this former church into a massive Dublin city-centre pub

Read: Here’s where JD Wetherspoon will open its next three pubs – and the first outside Dublin