The Week in Breach News: 03/13/24 – 03/19/24

Risk to Business: 1.341 = Extreme

Nations Direct Mortgage said more than 83,000 customers were affected by a data breach in which bad actors gained access to sensitive information. The company said it discovered a cybersecurity incident on December 30, 2023, that prompted an investigation. It ultimately determined that an unauthorized party obtained customer data including a customer’s name, address, social security number and unique Nations Direct loan number. Victims will be given two years of identity protection services from Kroll.

Risk to Business: 1.766 = Severe

A February 2024 cyberattack resulted in the compromise of 11 email accounts at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Officials said that the incident occurred on February 16. IMF noted that it sought the help of independent cybersecurity experts, and their investigation determined that 11 accounts were compromised and assisted IMF in limiting the spread of the problem. A spokesperson stressed that these were not email addresses used by its top officials.

Risk to Business: 1.801 = Severe

Schools in Pennsylvania’s Scranton School District were impacted by a cyberattack last week. The district said on social media that it is experiencing widespread technology outages as a result of the attack. Students in many areas have been unable to connect to school networks and forced to resort to old-fashioned paper and pencil. School officials also noted that some files are unavailable. The district is investigating the incident with a third-party forensics firm.  

Risk to Business: 1.803 = Severe

The Encina Wastewater Authority (EWA) in Carlsbad, California has disclosed that it has been the victim of a ransomware attack. EWA serves over 379,000 residents and businesses across North San Diego County, California covering a 125-square-mile area. BlackByte has claimed responsibility for the attack and posted sample data to its dark web leak site as proof. EWA’s website did not go down, leading to cybersecurity experts suggesting that the gang may have penetrated the organization’s backend systems or databases instead of its visible spaces. 

Risk to Business: 1.702 = Severe

The Office of the Colorado State Public Defender has announced that it has experienced a data breach as the result of a February 9 ransomware attack. The agency said that it was forced to shut down systems after detecting the malware. Officials cautioned that some personal client data was exposed but could not offer any specifics. Public defenders were prevented from accessing case information, which prompted a flurry of requests for postponements that could result in a backlog of cases across Colorado.

Risk to Business: 2.576 = Moderate

Scotland’s National Health Service (NHS) has announced that NHS Dumfries and Galloway has experienced a cyberattack. Officials say that patients may have had sensitive data exposed in the incident, but no services have been disrupted. NHS said that it is cooperating with a variety of agencies to investigate the incident including Police Scotland, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Scottish Government. Dumfries and Galloway is a region in the south of Scotland with a population of about 150,000 people. 

Risk to Business: 1.566 = Severe

France’s unemployment authority France Travail has disclosed that it has experienced a data breach. The agency said that hackers broke in between February 6 and March 5 and stole details belonging to job seekers who registered with the agency in the last 20 years. Individuals’ job candidate profiles were also exposed. The data that has been exposed includes a job seeker’s full name, date of birth, place of birth, social security number (NIR), France Travail identifier, email address, physical address and phone number. Officials stressed that people’s bank details or account passwords were not compromised.  

Risk to Business: 2.602 = Moderate

Japanese tech giant Fujitsu has determined that some of its systems were infected by malware. The company said that files containing personal information and information related to customers were stolen. In a statement, the company said A Fujitsu spokesperson said that the company has quickly shut down systems to limit the spread of the unidentified malware. Fujitsu has informed the Personal Information Protection Commission about the incident.