The email industry messaging firm Epsilon was hacked by hackers hacking its database. Millions of consumer names and emails were stolen. The Epsilon database contains millions of customers of banks with credit cards, also as those of big retailers. Epsilon clients commenced alerting their customers about phishing attacks that may result due to the data security breach.
In the Epsilon database: Better watch out
The Epsilon database hack may be the biggest in history of a hack while millions of names and emails were stolen. Every year, about 40 billion marketing emails are sent out for 2,500 corporations by Epsilon. The company announced that it was hacked on Friday, meaning emails and other information given to sites might have been stolen.
This hurt at least a dozen companies. Banks were impacted by this including J.P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup, U.S. Bancorp, Barclays Bank and Capital One. Customers need to look for phishing scams in the future. Watch out when you have been at other businesses as well. These will include Kroger, Walgreens, TiVo, Best Buy and HSN. Students should worry as about 5,900 colleges and universities were in the College Board database, the company that organizes the SAT. This information may also have been stolen.
How to spot a phishing con
Spam is more than likely the goal of all the emails and names stolen out of the Epsilon database. The "phishing scam" might be very effective this time. This is because people with actual accounts and information will be targeted. The phishing email tries to trick them into logging in at a fraudulent site created to look like the real site, which captures the login information and gives hackers access to the account. The email could be more convincing after having hackers' name and email in order to go on Facebook and find more personal details. Phishing scams often ask consumers to update charge card information or urgently warn that if a response isn’t received the account will be closed. Because the account is compromised, phishing scams will ask for account information.
Criminal making history
The number of students and consumers exposed to the database hacks has yet to be made clear by Epsilon, although it was clear that it was limited. Epsilon clients already mentioned weren't the only ones at risk. AstraZeneca, Kraft Foods, Hilton Hotels and Verizon Communications might also be at risk. Internet security analysts believe the Epsilon database hack might surpass the Heartland Payment Systems hack, currently recognized as the biggest identity-theft incident in U.S. history. Notorious cyber-criminal Albert Gonzalez was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of leading a ring of hackers that broke into Heartland Payment Systems and stole more than 40 million payment card numbers.
Information from
Associated Press
finance.yahoo.com/news/Banks-creditcard-issuers-warn-apf-754015157.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=
MSN Money
money.msn.com/identity-theft/news.aspx?feed=OBR&date=20110403&id=13261200
Computer world
computerworld.com/s/article/print/9215443/Update_Bank_customers_warned_after_breach_at_Epsilon_marketing_firm?taxonomyName=Security&taxonomyId=17
Microsoft
microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/phishing-symptoms.aspx
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