Massive data breach at federal credit union exposes 240K members
SRP Federal Credit Union, a South Carolina-based financial institution, had a major data breach impacting more than 240,000 people.The credit union handles highly sensitive information of hundreds of thousands of Americans, which is now in the hands of cybercriminals.SRP revealed in a notice that the data breach was part of a two-month attack by hackers, raising concerns about how it took the company so long to detect unauthorized entry into its systems.I discuss the details of the data breach, its impact on people and what you need to do to stay safe.SRP Federal Credit Union has reported a data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 240,000 individuals, according to documents filed Friday with regulators in Maine and Texas.The company said it discovered suspicious activity on its network and notified law enforcement.
An investigation determined that hackers accessed the credit union’s systems between Sept.5 and Nov.
4, potentially acquiring sensitive files.The investigation concluded on Nov.
22, the company said.SRP did not specify the exact details exposed in its notice to Maine regulators, saying only that names and government-issued identification were affected in the cyberattack. However, in a filing with Texas regulators, the company said names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth and financial information, including account numbers and credit or debit card numbers, were compromised.SRP said the breach did not affect its online banking or core processing systems.SRP has not disclosed who was behind the attack or the attackers’ motives.
However, the ransomware group Nitrogen claimed responsibility last week, alleging it had stolen 650 GB of customer data, according to The Record.Ransomware attacks use malicious software to block access to a victim’s files, systems or networks and demand payment to restore access.The credit union could face legal challenges following the data breach, as Oklahoma City...