Misconfigured NexOpt database prompts extensive vehicle data leak

Cybernews reports that German multinational vehicle tracking service provider NexOpt had almost 1 TB of sensitive information from more than 300,000 passenger and commercial vehicles exposed as a result of an unprotected Kibana instance, which was already secured last month.

Aside from revealing vehicle identification numbers, such an unsecured software instance also leaked NexOpt device IMEI identifiers, trip origins and destination details, routes, driver's seat information, and vehicle fuel or charge levels, mostly from the firm's customers in South Germany and nearby countries, according to Cybernews researchers. "...[T]he data could be exploited for business intelligence collection, which in turn could be used to organize real-world criminal operations with the intent to steal or modify transported cargo," said Cybernews researcher Aras Nazarovas. Such a report comes after Cybernews disclosed separate cases of server misconfigurations that resulted in the exposure of GPS data belonging to users of an iOS tracker app, as well as the leak of GPS information and private messages from children whose devices were installed with the parental control app KidSecurity.