ParkMobile Advises Users of Security Breach

The City of Portsmouth has just received notification that on March 26, ParkMobile, the app available to those who park in Portsmouth, became aware of a security breach in March linked to a vulnerability in ParkMobile's designers' software. In response, ParkMobile immediately launched an investigation with the assistance of a leading cybersecurity firm to address the incident. ParkMobile eliminated the third-party vulnerability, and continues to monitor their security and systems. ParkMobile also notified the appropriate law enforcement authorities including the FBI.

ParkMobile has concluded their investigation and determined the following key points about the incident.

1. No credit card information was accessed. Credit card information associated with the ParkMobile app is retained separately and was not affected in this incident.
2. No data related to a user’s parking transaction history was accessed.
3. Only basic user information was accessed: license plate numbers and the associated email address or telephone number (if text messaging is used). Vehicle nicknames, if provided by the user, and in a small percentage of cases, mailing addresses were also affected.
4. Encrypted passwords were accessed, but not the encryption keys required to read them.
5. ParkMobile does not collect Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers or dates of birth.

ParkMobile advises that while passwords were protected, as an added precaution, users can change their passwords in the “Settings” section of the ParkMobile app or on its website.

For instruction on how to change a ParkMobile password, click here.

City Manager Karen Conard said, “We are taking this incident very seriously and apologize to residents who use the app for the inconvenience. We continue to work closely through the Legal Department and DPW Parking Division to address this issue with ParkMobile. Subscribers to the ParkMobile app should be assured that the scope of the incident was contained and that they can continue to use the app without worry.”

ParkMobile commented, "As the largest parking app in the U.S., the trust of ParkMobile users is our top priority. Please rest assured we take seriously our responsibility to safeguard the security of our users’ information."