Taking control when your narrative has been hacked…

When we received an email from one of our customers referring to a data breach, the AfterShip team immediately activated a crisis steering committee, as no report can be discarded until there is certainty. Whilst no data breach actually occurred, the AfterShip team learned that no threat can be ignored, including misinformation.

We have decided to publish this blog article to explain how AfterShip places the utmost importance on its role in processing, how we responded, and, most importantly, to reaffirm our commitment to transparency and security. The trust of our customers and partners is our most valuable asset. Anything that can erode that trust is a threat to our company, brand reputation, and the relationship we have built over more than a decade. A baseless rumour set off our security apparatus to act swiftly and with care.

Going on the Record

What happened?

On 5 August 2025, our privacy inbox received an email from a concerned customer alerting us to a post on an unverified website alleging that AfterShip’s systems had been compromised and that a hacker was holding the personal data of hundreds of thousands of data subjects. Despite the vague references to how this data was attained and unrelated data fields making up the alleged data, AfterShip has an obligation to review this type of allegation from all angles.

Within seconds of receipt, AfterShip’s data privacy team initiated a coordinated cross-functional investigation, and within minutes we had:

• Opened a dedicated incident channel involving Legal, Security, Engineering, and Customer Success;
• Scheduled an emergency steering call;
• Begun reviewing the fields shown in the sample dataset shared by the article;
• Issued takedown notices to the publishers and initiated platform reporting; and
• Launched attempts to obtain the full dataset to validate its origin.

What did we discover?

Over the next few hours, this ad-hoc team conducted an exhaustive review, and before 24 hours had passed from receipt of our customer’s email, we found no evidence or any sign of the hacking of, or that any data originated from, AfterShip systems. Some of the steps that we took to reach this determination include:

• Auditing our internal database: The data fields analysed did not align with AfterShip’s methodology or any third-party database structure known to us.
• Reviewing our APIs: No matching data was found in any sync processes with our API linked partners, including the courier services named in the article.
• Analysing the source: The sample dataset showed entries unrelated to AfterShip operations, and no AfterShip identifiers were found.

Even at the time of this writing, there is still no evidence to suggest a breach of AfterShip infrastructure.

Taking Control of the Narrative

Whackamoling Misinformation

In parallel to our technical investigation, our team worked to combat misinformation and the reputational harm that it inflicts:

• Articles were successfully removed from multiple domains.
• Defamation-based reports were submitted to search engines and domain hosts.
• A coordinated briefing was prepared for stakeholders across the company, to ensure transparency to our colleagues and coordinated and consistent messaging if AfterShippers received questions on the developing situation.

Learning and Growing

Not only did the intense events of 5-6 August demonstrate the capability of how AfterShippers collaborating from three different continents can synchronise across multiple time zones, but it also showed us where we can innovate whilst still bolstering the infrastructure that we have:

• Enhancing cross-functional incident protocols: Revisiting and improving protocols so that teams across AfterShip can quickly come together and deliver timely responses.
• Customer-centred communication: Keeping an open dialogue with our customers, answering them quickly and in detail so that they can be assured that we do not take these concerns lightly.
• Vigilant monitoring and escalation: The internet is a vast digital sea, and whilst we can confront false reports, social media allows for misinformation to propagate. AfterShip remains watchful and attentive, and we will continue to combat misinformation about our company and the services we provide.

Our Commitment to our Customers and Partners

Despite the challenges of undertaking a thorough internal review—not to trace a breach, but to rule out that one had occurred with confidence and clarity, we are proud to say: There has been no data breach. AfterShip systems are secure, and no customer data was compromised.

We are thankful to the customer who flagged this article, and we are proud to have delivered them the assurances they needed—quickly, decisively, and transparently.

Although false claims make noise abound these days and misinformation can sprout up in the blink of an eye, AfterShip believes that facts speak louder and a principled response stands taller. We know that the techniques of threat actors will evolve, so AfterShip remains firm in our commitment to defending our systems, our brand, and our customers and partners.