The data breach letter from Glasswasherparts.com reveals that malware affected their systems, exposing customer payment information like names, addresses, and credit card details. This breach actually remained undetected for several months, impacting customer trust.

Looking at this situation through economic theories, cost-benefit analysis is relevant as the company must decide between spending on security improvements and facing potential legal and reputational costs. Information asymmetry also comes into play since customers were unaware of the breach until notified.

From a social sciences perspective, routine activities theory highlights how cybercriminals targeted weak security systems. Additionally, crisis communication theory is seen in the company’s attempt to manage the fallout by informing customers and taking corrective actions to rebuild trust.