Major Data Breaches and Hackings in May 2023

Hacking News

FREE VPN: THE HIDDEN DANGERS THAT PUT YOUR ONLINE SECURITY AT RISK

Free VPN applications can be tempting to use because they offer a way to access the internet anonymously without having to pay for a premium VPN service. However, there are several potential dangers associated with using free VPN applications.

1. Data collection and sharing: Many free VPN applications collect user data and share it with third-party advertisers. This can include browsing history, location data, and other sensitive information.

2. Security vulnerabilities: Free VPN applications may have security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers to steal user data or install malware on a user’s device.

3. Limited server options: Free VPN applications typically have a limited number of servers, which can result in slower internet speeds and restricted access to content in certain regions.

4. Unreliable service: Free VPN applications may have limited bandwidth and data transfer limits, which can result in dropped connections and slow speeds.

5. Malware and viruses: Some free VPN applications have been found to contain malware and viruses that can harm a user’s device and compromise their data.

6. Lack of customer support: Free VPN applications may not offer customer support or have limited resources for helping users troubleshoot issues with the service.

Overall, it’s important to be cautious when using free VPN applications and to carefully read their privacy policies and terms of service to understand how they collect and use user data. For more reliable and secure VPN options, it’s often worth investing in a premium service such as IDSeal Pro-Tec.

NO ONE IS SAFE FROM HACKERS AS PRINCE HARRY HAS DISCOVERED

The British publisher of the Daily Mirror apologized for one instance of snooping on Prince Harry but denied his other claims Wednesday, as a trial for one of Harry’s phone hacking lawsuits began with the prince’s lawyer accusing the newspaper of unlawfully gathering information on “an industrial scale.”

LOSING YOUR IPHONE COULD EQUAL LOSING YOUR IDENTITY

iPhone thieves across the country are locking people out of their Apple and iCloud accounts and gaining access to Apple Pay and bank apps, draining them of thousands of dollars—sometimes before victims even know what happened.

DON’T BECOME ANOTHER VICTIM OF “JUICE JACKING”

The FBI is warning consumers against using public phone charging stations in order to avoid exposing their devices to malicious software. Public USB stations like the kind found at malls and airports are being used by bad actors to spread malware and monitoring software, according to a tweet last week from the FBI’s Denver branch. The agency did not provide any specific examples. “Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead,” the agency advised in the tweet.

THE DANGERS OF AI

More than 1,000 technology leaders and researchers, including Elon Musk, have urged artificial intelligence labs to pause development of the most advanced systems, warning in an open letter that A.I. tools present “profound risks to society and humanity.”

Data Breaches

PharMerica

Pharmacy services provider.

Company Website:https://pharmerica.com/

Breach Size: >5.8 million

Data Exposed: full names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers (SSNs), medications, and health insurance information.

Pharmacy services provider PharMerica has disclosed a massive data breach impacting over 5.8 million patients, exposing their medical data to hackers. PharMerica is a pharmacy services provider in 50 U.S. states, operating 180 local and 70,000 backup pharmacies, and serving 3,100 medical facilities nationwide.

Carvin Software, LLC

Software company

Company Website:https://carvinsoftware.com/

Breach Size: 187,360

Data Exposed: consumers’ names, Social Security numbers, and financial account information.

On May 2, 2023, Carvin Software, LLC filed a notice of data breach with the Maine Attorney General after learning that an unauthorized party was able to copy files containing confidential consumer information from the company’s computer network. Based on the company’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names, Social Security numbers, and financial account information.

The Metropolitan Opera (“the Met”)

The New York-based opera house, founded in 1883 and now the largest classical music organization in North America.

Company Website: https://www.metopera.org/

Breach Size: 45,000

Data Exposed: names, financial account information, tax identification numbers, Social Security numbers, payment card information and driver’s license numbers.

On May 3, 2023, The Metropolitan Opera (“the Met”) filed a notice of data breach with the Maine Attorney General after learning that an unauthorized party was able to gain access to the company’s computer network, accessing confidential consumer information. Based on the company’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names, financial account information, tax identification numbers, Social Security numbers, payment card information, and driver’s license numbers.

ChatGPT

Unknown Number of Breached Customers Icon IDSeal

Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot

Company Website:https://openai.com/

Breach Size: Unknown

Data Exposed: names, email addresses, payment addresses, credit card type and last four digits of the payment card number of active users.

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has confirmed that a bug in the AI’s source code resulted in a breach of sensitive data. The vulnerability was in the Redis memory database, which OpenAI uses to store user information. Actors were able to access the open-source library and view users’ chat history.

Furthermore, approximately 1.2% of ChatGPT Plus subscribers who were active on March 20th may have had payment information compromised due to the bug. The incident exposed names, email addresses, payment addresses, credit card types, and the last four digits of credit card numbers.

Discord

VoIP and instant messaging social platform

Company Website:https://discord.com/

Breach Size: Unknown

Data Exposed: user email addresses, contents of customer service messages, and attachments.

VoIP and instant messaging social platform Discord is notifying users that some of their information was compromised in a cybersecurity incident at a third-party services provider.Late last week, the company informed users that a “third-party customer service agent’s support ticket queue” was accessed without authorization, resulting in user email addresses, contents of customer service messages, and attachments being compromised.

It is unclear how many individuals that had submitted support tickets may have been impacted by the data breach. Discord says it has over 150 million monthly active users.

What to do after your information is compromised in a data breach

When headlines hit with a data breach, questions that commonly come up are:

Was my info leaked?

How do I find out if my information was stolen?

How do you protect yourself after a data breach?

Do I need to change my password?

IDSeal can help

We get it. Being part of a data breach can be scary. While you can’t undo what has already been done, you can be prepared for the fallout when you have IDSeal.

If your information is compromised, chances are it will end up for sale on the dark web. IDSeal members have their personal and financial information monitored around the clock, so if it’s found on the dark web, they will get a notification that includes instructions on the next steps to take.

If your information is used without your consent, IDSeal will be there to help with our licensed restoration specialists. Our protection plans even include up to $1M in insurance to help recover any losses associated with identity theft.

The most important piece? You don’t have to be alone. IDSeal will be by your side every step of the way, from the moment you get an alert and suspect identity theft up until the moment you receive reimbursement for lost funds.