The City of Tucson, Arizona, recently announced a data breach that compromised the personal data of more than 125,000 people.
Data breach
A data breach is a scenario in which information is taken from a system without the owner's knowledge or consent. A data breach could happen to a small business or a major corporation.
If related data are among the information stolen, victims and their customers can also sustain financial damages. Malware or hacking attacks are to be blamed for the majority of data breaches.
Violation of user data
Although the event was discovered around May 2022, the city's investigation was not finished until last month.
The city claims that the issue was triggered by compromised network account credentials that gave the hackers access to files containing certain people's personal information in a data breach notice posted on its website. Between May 17 and May 31, the malicious hackers who had access to the network may have stolen or downloaded documents that contained the personal information of 123,513 people.
The attacker may have had access to the affected people's names and Social Security numbers among other sensitive personal information disclosed during the incident, the City informed those who might have been impacted on September 23. Furthermore, according to letters of notification issued to the affected parties, there is no proof that this personal data has been exploited up to this point.
The city claims that after quickly recognizing the breach, it was able to contain it and make repairs and that it is also taking extra steps to strengthen its cybersecurity. The City is also offering advice to those affected on better defending themselves against fraudulent activities including identity theft and fraud.
The breach notification letters stated, "As part of its ongoing obligations to the security of information under its care, the City is reviewing its current policies and procedures regarding cybersecurity and considering extra measures and safeguards to defend against this sort of event in the future.
In addition, the city said it will provide free credit monitoring services to anyone affected and advice on how to safeguard oneself against fraud and identity theft.
