Parcel Force personal data exposed online

A report has been published today revealing that Parcel Force customer’s personal details have been at risk of exposure online.

The details came courtesy of the BBC website who revealed that a fault in the parcel tracking system on the Parcel Force site, left customer’s names, addresses and signatures - in some cases revealing details of parcels yet to clear customs.

Parcel Force apologised for the fault saying, "”we can confirm that the fault was rectified and the service restored on Thursday night. We apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.”

That might not be enough for the Information Commissioners Office though, who oversee businesses handling of personal information, "We will be contacting Parcel Force to establish how this security breach occurred and to find out what steps it will be taking to ensure that such a breach cannot happen again”, said a company spokesperson.

The flaw occurred when customers entered specific parcel codes into the Parcel Force tracking system to find their whereabouts. Reportedly, the system delivered multiple wrong results causing distress amongst customers that thought their packages had gone awry, and in some cases revealing details of parcels that had already been delivered.

With an aim of being the UK’s "most trusted" parcel carrier, it’s undoubtedly an embarrassment that the recently profitable courier company could do without.