Nationwide Cyberattack Paralyzes Auto Dealerships

If you have been trying to buy a car this summer, you might have hit a snag or two. Dealerships have had to go back to good old fashioned pen and paper to complete deals after their operations suddenly came to a complete halt. What happened? Hackers targeted CDK Global, a software company that 15,000 car dealerships nationwide rely on. The back-to-back ransomware attacks occurred in mid-June but car dealerships are still recovering from having their operations paralyzed for about ten days. The good news is that dealerships do not think that customer private information has been stolen but that has not been confirmed. We will notify you if our teams find any data sets related to this attack on the dark web.

Guard Well Identity Theft Solutions exists to provide you, your family and your employees from the damages of identity theft. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help or have any questions or concerns. We are available for you 24/7/365 at 888.966.4827 (GUARD) and [email protected].

Update – Ticketmaster/Live Nation Breach Alert: 560 Million Fans Impacted

Update – Ticketmaster/Live Nation Breach Alert: 560 Million Fans Impacted

Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010, it merged with Live Nation under the name Live Nation Entertainment. Ticketing giant Live Nation confirmed this summer that it has been the victim of a cyber attack. We have just learned that the breach origin date is May 20, 2024. Personal data from over half a billion users have been exposed. Data stolen can include full names, addresses, email addresses, birth dates, credit card type, the last four digits and credit card expiration dates used for ticket sales. Learn More

We suggest that you protect yourself by doing the following if you have a Ticketmaster account:

– Change your password immediately and frequently. Although it might be easier to remember, try to resist the urge to use the same password across multiple accounts.

– Utilize two-factor authentication when it is available.

– If solicited online, never share any personal identifying information or financial account numbers. Only give out information to an individual you know or a company that you are 100% certain about.

This is definitely not the first time Ticketmaster has made the news. If you have a Swiftie in the household, you likely already know the debacle surrounding Ticketmaster and Taylor Swift’s Eras tour that started in 2022. If you are interested in the timeline of the chaos, check out People’s article of events. Learn More

Now is not the time to let your guard down. Knowledge is power. Being informed of what steps you may need to take can help ease the potential damage (and your stress level) if your identity has been compromised. Guard Well Identity Theft Solutions exists to provide you, your family and your employees from the damages of identity theft. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help or have any questions or concerns. We are available for you 24/7/365 at 888.966.4827 (GUARD) and [email protected].

Image courtesy credit: Erfan Parhizi via unsplash.com

UPDATE from Ticketmaster – July 3, 2024: Ticketmaster has contacted those who may be affected. They state via email that they “take the protection of personal information very seriously.” They explain that an unauthorized third party obtained information from a cloud database hosted by a third-party data services provider. Based on their investigation, they determined that the unauthorized activity occurred on May 27, 2024. They note that they are working to mitigate risk to their users and the company, and have notified and are cooperating with law enforcement and regulatory authorities.

ALERT: Toll Smishing Text Scam – Do Not Click!

ALERT: Toll Smishing Text Scam – Do Not Click!

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, the FBI and SunPass are warning drivers of a text message smishing scam that requests payment for unpaid tolls. The FBI is recommending that if you receive a message like the one shown below, to take the following actions:

– Do not click the link in the text.

– Contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, also known as IC3, at www.ic3.gov, and include the phone number the text came from and the website listed within the text.

– If you have an EZ-Pass or SunPass account, check it via their legitimate website and let them know about the text.

– Delete the smishing text you received.

– If for any reason you accidentally clicked the link in the text and made a payment, contact your financial institution immediately to help secure your personal information and financial accounts. Contact our Member Services team at 1.888.966.4827 (GUARD) or email [email protected].

Screenshot image of a sample scam on an iphone

Being informed of what steps you may need to take before a slip up happens can help ease the potential damage (and your stress level) if it does occur. Guard Well Identity Theft Solutions exists to provide you, your family and your employees from the damages of identity theft. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help or have any questions or concerns. We are available for you 24/7/365 at 1.888.966.4827 (GUARD) and [email protected].

AT&T Breach Alert: 73 Million Impacted

AT&T Breach Alert: 73 Million Impacted

Our security teams have recently discovered that AT&T, one of the main US telecommunications companies, has suffered an enormous data breach. Data from 73 million current and former customers has been leaked on the dark web. In August, 2021, the company originally said that they did not suffer a data breach after a well-known threat actor claimed to be selling a database containing the personal information of 70 million customers. Although the hacking date remains unclear, one in five Americans have now been impacted. Data exposed include name, address, date of birth, phone number and social security numbers.

The company stated that it is not yet known whether the data originated from AT&T or one of its vendors. The company added that “currently AT&T does not have evidence of unauthorized access to its systems resulting in exfiltration of the data set.” The company said that it is reaching out to customers to reset their account pass codes and is also urging customers to remain alert about changes to their accounts or credit reports. LEARN MORE

Guard Well Identity Theft Solutions exists to provide you, your family, and your employees from the damages of identity theft. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Member Services team immediately. We are always available for you 24/7/365 at 888.966.4827 (GUARD).

Image courtesy credit: Marcus Spiske via unsplash.com

Boeing Breach Alert

Boeing Breach Alert

Our security teams have recently discovered that The Boeing Company has experienced a ranson breach alert. Boeing is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotocraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide.

The hacking origin date is November, 2023 and impacts 50,000. Data exposed include email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, names and user id.

The company reported that they “are aware of a cyber incident impacting elements of our parts and distribution business.” The Boeing spokesperson continued to state that the “issue does not affect flight safety,” which is an important concern especially with the recent Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 incident. LEARN MORE

Boeing is actively investigating the ransom breach and coordinating with law enforcement and regulatory authorities. They are also in process of notifying customers and suppliers. LEARN MORE

Guard Well Identity Theft Solutions exists to provide you, your family, and your employees from the damages of identity theft. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Member Services team immediately. We are always available for you 24/7/365 at 888.966.4827 (GUARD).

Image courtesy credit: Markus Spiske via unsplash.com

University of California and StreetEasy: Dark Web Fraud Alert

University of California and StreetEasy: Dark Web Fraud Alert

Our teams have discovered extremely large sets of compromised data on the Dark Web. The latest two websites involved are University of California and StreetEasy.com.

 

The University of California (UC) is the world’s leading public research university system. Like several hundred other institutions throughout the country, including universities, government institutions and private companies, UC has been using a vendor service called Accellion File Transfer Appliance (FTA) to transfer information. Accellion was the target of an international cyberattack where the perpetrators exploited a vulnerability in Accellion’s program and attacked roughly 100 organizations. The attackers are now attempting to get money from organizations and individuals.

 

The breach origination date was March 31, 2021. Information stolen includes names, addresses, SSNs, as well as some email addresses and medical IDs.

 

StreetEasy.com is New York City’s leading local real estate marketplace on mobile and the Web, providing comprehensive listings and market data. The approximate breach size is 990,290 and originated in June of 2016. Data exposed includes passwords, first and last names, email addresses, and user IDs.

 

Be vigilant. Be strong. Stay in the know. If you have visited these websites in the past or have done business with them, please contact our Member Services immediately. We are always available for you 24/7/365 at 888.966.GUARD (4827).

 

Photo credit by Erfan Parhizi via unsplash.com.

Stolen Data of 533 Million Facebook Users Leaked Online

Stolen Data of 533 Million Facebook Users Leaked Online

Facebook, the most popular social media platform worldwide, has experienced another leak. This weekend we learned that the phone numbers and personal data of 533 million users were published for free.

 

Business Insider reported that “the exposed data includes the personal information of over 533 million Facebook users from 106 countries, including over 32 million records on users in the US, 11 million on users in the UK, and 6 million on users in India. It includes their phone numbers, Facebook IDs, full names, locations, birthdays, bios, and, in some cases, email addresses.”

 

For more information, click HERE.

 

Be vigilant. Be strong. If you have any concerns or think you have been a victim, please contact our Member Services immediately. We are always available for you 24/7/365 at 888.966.GUARD (4827).

 

Photo credit: Tim Bennett on Unsplash