Another shower of breaches, not blessings, this Christmas: Millions of Americans' finances at risk!
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As the holiday season twinkles with lights and the air fills with the scent of pine and peppermint, a less festive news has emerged, casting a shadow over the joyous preparations.
Cybersecurity experts have sounded the alarm on a breach of staggering proportions, one that could potentially turn merry Christmas shopping into a nightmare for millions of Americans.
In this blizzard of snow and sharing, when can Americans finally catch a break from these security breaches? This time around, are you affected?
Researchers at Leakd.com have discovered an unsecured Amazon Web Services (AWS) “S3 bucket”—a type of cloud storage used by companies to house customer data.
An S3 bucket is an online folder for companies to store customer data. This particular S3 bucket, however, was left wide open on the internet, filled with the credit card details, names, addresses, and emails of approximately five million individuals.
These unsuspecting shoppers were lured by a phishing scheme offering fake promotions, such as the chance to win a free iPhone.
The gravity of this situation cannot be overstated. The exposed data is a treasure trove for fraudsters, opening up avenues for unauthorized transactions and identity theft.
The AWS Abuse team is currently investigating the breach, but the identity of the perpetrators remains shrouded in mystery. Experts are asking the public to reach out to their financial service providers as the exposed data may lead to fraud, unauthorized transactions, and identity theft.
Criminals crafted emails, phone calls, and fake websites masquerading as legitimate companies to trick people into surrendering their personal information.
Leakd.com's team identified numerous bogus offers, including the chance to “Win an iPhone 14” from a fictitious company named “Braniacshop.”
“While it's unknown how long this data has been online, it's now threatening to disrupt the holiday shopping season for potential victims as well,” the tech site's cybersecurity researchers reminded the public.
On the dark web, a credit card's details can fetch around $17, according to researchers.
With five million US credit and debit cards compromised, the potential market value of this stolen data exceeds a staggering $85 million.
The timing of this breach is particularly insidious, as it threatens to disrupt the holiday shopping season—a time when people are more susceptible to the allure of giveaways and discounts.
“Millions of Americans,” they stated, “may find their Christmas at risk.”
So, it’s best to start monitoring your credit card, online banking, and other important financial statements regularly. If there’s any suspicious activity, contact your bank, credit card provider, or other services so they can stop the use of any affected card.
In earlier news, 800,000 people were recently hit by a major data breach. If you are involved with an insurance company, you might want to check out the details of this breach to know if you are affected. Read more about it in this story here.
Have you taken steps to protect your financial information this holiday season? Do you have any tips for fellow readers on how to stay secure? Share your thoughts, experiences, and questions in the comments below!
Cybersecurity experts have sounded the alarm on a breach of staggering proportions, one that could potentially turn merry Christmas shopping into a nightmare for millions of Americans.
In this blizzard of snow and sharing, when can Americans finally catch a break from these security breaches? This time around, are you affected?
Researchers at Leakd.com have discovered an unsecured Amazon Web Services (AWS) “S3 bucket”—a type of cloud storage used by companies to house customer data.
An S3 bucket is an online folder for companies to store customer data. This particular S3 bucket, however, was left wide open on the internet, filled with the credit card details, names, addresses, and emails of approximately five million individuals.
These unsuspecting shoppers were lured by a phishing scheme offering fake promotions, such as the chance to win a free iPhone.
Cybersecurity experts have discovered a significant credit card breach that could disrupt Christmas shopping for millions of Americans. Image source: Pexels / Antoni Shkraba.
The gravity of this situation cannot be overstated. The exposed data is a treasure trove for fraudsters, opening up avenues for unauthorized transactions and identity theft.
The AWS Abuse team is currently investigating the breach, but the identity of the perpetrators remains shrouded in mystery. Experts are asking the public to reach out to their financial service providers as the exposed data may lead to fraud, unauthorized transactions, and identity theft.
Criminals crafted emails, phone calls, and fake websites masquerading as legitimate companies to trick people into surrendering their personal information.
Leakd.com's team identified numerous bogus offers, including the chance to “Win an iPhone 14” from a fictitious company named “Braniacshop.”
“While it's unknown how long this data has been online, it's now threatening to disrupt the holiday shopping season for potential victims as well,” the tech site's cybersecurity researchers reminded the public.
On the dark web, a credit card's details can fetch around $17, according to researchers.
With five million US credit and debit cards compromised, the potential market value of this stolen data exceeds a staggering $85 million.
The timing of this breach is particularly insidious, as it threatens to disrupt the holiday shopping season—a time when people are more susceptible to the allure of giveaways and discounts.
“Millions of Americans,” they stated, “may find their Christmas at risk.”
So, it’s best to start monitoring your credit card, online banking, and other important financial statements regularly. If there’s any suspicious activity, contact your bank, credit card provider, or other services so they can stop the use of any affected card.
In earlier news, 800,000 people were recently hit by a major data breach. If you are involved with an insurance company, you might want to check out the details of this breach to know if you are affected. Read more about it in this story here.
Have you taken steps to protect your financial information this holiday season? Do you have any tips for fellow readers on how to stay secure? Share your thoughts, experiences, and questions in the comments below!
