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LastPass Has Revealed Yet Another Security Breach
It’s been revealed that the popular password manager was hacked using intel gained from a previous August 2022 attack.
The CEO of LastPass, Karim Toubba, has revealed that the leading password manager has suffered another serious data breach. Toubba said that LastPass engineers detected unusual activity from a third-party cloud storage service in August 2022 — a service shared with parent company GoTo, which readers may remember by its former name of LogMeIn.
Security firm Mandiant was hired to investigate the suspicious incident, and together, they uncovered that the unauthorized person(s) gained access to LastPass cloud services using information obtained from a previous security breach in August of this year. The latest incident is thought to be rather serious, giving the criminal party access to “certain elements” of customer information.
When the password manager’s systems were breached back in August, Toubba says that after an investigation, the unauthorized party was found to have had internal access to LastPass systems for four days. The hacker was able to steal source code and some technical information, but security engineers said customer data and password vaults remained safe.
Also Read: WhatsApp Hacker Is Selling Over 150 Million MENA Numbers
In a separate but related announcement, parent company GoTo has admitted that hackers gained entry into its own development environment of remote work tools. Echoing the statement from LastPass, GoTo has assured customers that its services are functioning fine despite the data breach. Both LastPass and its parent company are still investigating the scope of the incidents, and we’ll likely hear more details over the coming months.
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Checkout.com Set To Launch Card Issuing In The UAE
The payment service provider’s expansion is a first-of-its-kind investment and could reshape digital transactions across the region.
Checkout.com is laying the groundwork to become the first global payments platform to introduce card issuing in the United Arab Emirates — a move that could reshape how businesses in the region manage financial transactions.
The company plans to roll out its domestic card issuance offering in the UAE by 2026, subject to regulatory approval. The launch would give businesses the tools to issue both physical and virtual branded cards. This, in turn, opens up new ways to reward customers, streamline expense processes, and handle B2B payouts efficiently.
Checkout.com’s CEO and Founder, Guillaume Pousaz, revealed the plans during Thrive Abu Dhabi, the firm’s debut conference in the Emirates. Joined on stage by Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, General Manager for MENA, Pousaz presented to an audience of over 150 partners and merchants at Saadiyat Island. Also in attendance was H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications.
Abbondandolo highlighted the strategic importance of the announcement: “As a global business, we focus on bringing products to markets that our customers want and need. Today’s announcement is proof of our commitment to the MENA region and its rising influence in the digital economy. The appetite for innovation here is real, and we’re proud to be building the infrastructure that powers it”.
One early adopter of Checkout.com’s UAE acquiring services is Headout, a travel experiences marketplace, which recently named the payment provider as its main partner in Europe. The company has already begun card issuing there and is keen to expand that offering into MENA once approval is granted.
The expansion of services in the UAE and beyond builds on Checkout.com’s track record in the region. It was the first global payments firm to secure a Retail Payment Services license from the UAE’s Central Bank and was instrumental in rolling out Mada and Apple Pay in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Also Read: Protecting Your WhatsApp Account From Hackers: Kaspersky Expert Tips
The firm has also been rolling out new products: One of the latest is Flow Remember Me, currently in beta testing. It allows shoppers to store their card information once and access it across Checkout.com’s entire network, potentially cutting checkout times by up to 70%.
Earlier this year, Checkout.com also introduced Visa Direct’s Push-to-Card solution in the UAE, enabling both domestic and international payouts. Its collaboration with Mastercard has grown as well, making it easier for businesses to send funds directly to third-party cards securely and quickly.
With regional tech ambitions on the rise — spurred by initiatives like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE’s 2031 Agenda — Checkout.com sees its role as one of a key enabler. “Our mission is to help ambitious businesses navigate the complexity of payments, so they can move faster, go further, and make the most of every opportunity,” said Abbondandolo. “In MENA, performance is personal. It’s local. It’s built on trust. And when payments perform, businesses thrive”.
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