The Starbucks App Notification You Got Is Not A Hack - It's A Test
If you recently received a strange notification from the Starbucks app on March 28, there's no need to worry. What some may assume was a breach of security was actually a test performed by Starbucks. "Earlier today, some customers received a test notification from the Starbucks app in error. This was not caused by a data breach," Starbucks spokesperson Erin Shane Riley said to The Verge. The amusing message was quite simple, reading, "Hello test1 from seank."
It wouldn't be outlandish to assume the worst in this situation; in the past, certain incidents have called into question how secure the Starbucks app is as a whole. In 2017, a string of hacks resulted in money being stolen directly from customers' bank accounts. To spread awareness and alert the company, several Twitter users shared their experiences online. "Hey [Starbucks] my app got hacked and someone has been using it in a state I don't live in. What do I do?" wrote one user. The comments were flooded with app users who were stuck in the same predicament. When something similar occurred a couple years earlier, Starbucks representatives claimed the responsibility doesn't fall on the app itself, even though it's caused other uproars in the past.
Worry turned to jokes after Starbucks' announcement
Though past app hacks have made customers wary of the Starbucks app, the company claims security issues aren't to blame for the former incidents. According to a company representative after a 2015 string of hacks, the attackers were able to access accounts due to weak passwords set by consumers themselves, meaning no personal information was leaked from the company (via CNN). Many fans of the brand called for updates to the system's security features, but at the time, there was no word that changes would be made. "I think it's too easy to dip into someone's bank account," app user Kristi Overton said.
With minds eased after today's recent message mixup, many consumers who received the notification used Twitter as an outlet to make light of the situation. "Who is Sean k and why is he failing his internship?" one poster jokingly wrote. "If anyone knows seank from [Starbucks], let him know that the test push notification worked," another message recipient quipped. It's safe to say, at least for now, there's no need to worry about Starbucks app hackers.