Transunion Data Breach: 4.4 Million Customers Affected

TransUnion Reports Data Breach Impacting Over 4.4 Million Customers

TransUnion, a leading credit reporting agency, has recently announced a significant data security incident. The breach has compromised the personal information of more than 4.4 million individuals.

Breach Details and Initial Findings

According to a filing submitted to the Maine attorney general’s office on Thursday, the incident occurred on July 28th. Unauthorized access to a third-party application, utilized for storing customer data related to U.S. consumer support, was identified as the source of the breach.

While TransUnion asserts that no credit-related information was accessed during the event, supporting evidence for this claim has not yet been publicly released. The initial breach notification lacked specifics regarding the exact nature of the compromised personal data.

Specific Data Compromised

A subsequent disclosure filed with the Texas attorney general’s office provided further clarification. This filing confirmed that the stolen data includes sensitive personal identifiers such as customers’ names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers.

Company Response and Lack of Transparency

When contacted by TechCrunch for comment, TransUnion spokesperson Jon Boughtin declined to address questions concerning the data breach. He also refrained from specifying the types of personally identifiable information that were taken.

Broader Context of Recent Data Breaches

TransUnion is a major player in the U.S. credit reporting landscape, maintaining financial data for over 260 million Americans. This breach is the latest in a series of recent cyberattacks targeting large corporations across various sectors, including insurance, retail, transportation, and airlines.

Similar Incidents and Potential Actors

Several prominent companies, including Google, Allianz Life, Cisco, and Workday, have recently reported data breaches affecting customer data stored within Salesforce-hosted cloud databases. Following its own incident, Google attributed these attacks to a known extortion group called ShinyHunters.

Ongoing Investigation

The identity of the perpetrators behind the TransUnion breach remains unknown at this time. It is also currently unclear whether any demands have been made by the attackers to the company.

This article has been updated to include a response from TransUnion and additional details from the Texas state filing.