US telecom giants Comcast, TrustBank, and Capio & CF Medical are recent victims of data breaches, but it's not their fault. The data breach stems from the Financial Business Consumer Solutions (FBCS) breach that occurred in February. The personal information of approximately 237,000 Comcast customers was compromised. This includes your name, address, social security number, date of birth, as well as your Comcast account and ID number.
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Comcast is a major cable and internet provider. (Comcast)
What you need to know
According to one source, a data breach exposed the names, addresses, social security numbers, and dates of birth of more than 237,700 Comcast customers. Filed in Maine on FridayAs reported, peepee computer. The breach stemmed from a security incident at Financial Business and Consumer Solutions (FBCS), a Pennsylvania-based debt collection company formerly used by Comcast.
FBCS first notified Comcast in March that the security incident did not involve customer data. However, in July, FBCS notified the telecom giant that customer data had indeed been compromised, stating: “As part of a ransomware attack, an unauthorized party downloaded data from our FBCS systems and encrypted some of our systems.”
Comcast said the stolen data belonged to customers who signed up “circa 2021,” adding that it stopped using FBCS for debt collection in 2020. FBCS has not yet released details of the security incident, but Comcast's filings confirm that it was a ransomware attack, in which the hackers kept the data and had no plans to delete or return it. A type of cyber attack that demands a ransom.
Ransomware is becoming more common after a data breach. (Kurt “Cyber Guy” Knutson)
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The FBCS attack that started it all
As reported in June, FBCS cyberattack occurred on February 14th When a hacker gains access to your company's systems. FBCS did not become aware of the breach until February 26, and when it did, it described the incident as “unauthorized access to certain systems within its network.”
The company initially estimated around 1.9 million people were affected, but by June 2024, that number had jumped to 4 million. The data breach exposed large amounts of consumer information, including names, social security numbers, dates of birth, driver's licenses and identification cards. Card number.
FBCS provides services to multiple companies, so their customers' data was included in the breach. Therefore, even if you have no connection with FBCS, your information may still be publicly available. In addition to Comcast, Trust Bank, one of the largest U.S. banks, and CF Medical, a medical debt purchaser known as Capio, were also affected. As a result of this incident, Comast is providing one year of credit monitoring to affected customers.
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6 ways to protect yourself from data breaches
If you were affected by the Comcast breach, follow these steps to protect your personal data and privacy.
1) Invest in identity theft protection. If you believe your personal data has been compromised, fraudsters may try to impersonate you and gain access to your personal information. The best thing you can do to protect yourself from this type of fraud is to subscribe to an identity theft service.
Identity theft companies monitor your personal information, such as your social security number, phone number, and email address, and alert you if it is sold on the dark web or used to open an account. It can also help freeze bank and credit card accounts to prevent further misuse by criminals. Check out our tips and recommendations on how to protect yourself from identity theft..
2) Send a fraud alert. If you believe you are a victim, contact the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) and ask them to place a fraud alert on your credit file. This makes it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name without authentication. Comcast is offering one year of free credit monitoring services to those who may have been affected through its data breach response company CyEx.
3) Beware of phishing attempts. Be wary of emails, calls, or messages from unknown sources requesting personal information. Don't click on suspicious links or provide sensitive information unless you can verify the legitimacy of the request. The best way to protect yourself from malicious links that can install malware and access your personal information is to install antivirus software on all your devices. This protection also warns you about phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best antivirus protection products of 2024 for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices.
4) Check your Social Security benefits. It's important to regularly check your Social Security benefits to ensure they haven't been tampered with or altered in any way to protect your financial security and prevent potential fraud.
5) Beware of snail mail: With data breaches so common, it's more important than ever to keep an eye on your physical email. Hackers can obtain sensitive information, which can lead to identity theft and fraud. Be wary of unexpected letters or packages, especially if they ask for personal information or appear suspicious.
6) Invest in a data deletion service. Consider using a data removal service that specializes in removing personal information from online databases and people search websites. These services can help reduce your digital footprint and make it harder for identity thieves to access your information. Proactively removing data from the public domain increases privacy and security in the event of a breach like the one experienced by Comcast.
These services do all of their work by actively monitoring your personal information and systematically removing it from hundreds of websites. This gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase personal data from the internet. Limiting the information available reduces the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from a breach with information they find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you. Check out my recommended data deletion services here.
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Cart important points
The FBCS data breach affected Comcast, Truist, and CF Medical, but these are just the names we know. The total number of affected users exceeds 4 million, and more companies are likely to report having their customer data compromised due to FBCS. Since this is a ransomware attack, FBCS may have to pay a hefty ransom to the hackers to get your data back or delete it. Otherwise, it could fall into the hands of dark web scammers and other data collectors.
Do you think companies like FBCS should be held responsible for breaches that affect their clients' customers? Email us at. Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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