Our personal data was stolen again: Greylock McKinnon Associates (GMA), a trusted consulting firm, fell victim to a cyber breach on May 30, 2023, undetected until February 7, 2024. Personal data, including Social Security numbers, was compromised.
How did the GMA data breach happen?
On May 30, 2023, hackers managed to get into GMA’s computer systems. They stayed undetected for months until February 7, 2024, when GMA finally realized what had happened. The breach affected many people, with as many as 341,650 Social Security numbers being stolen.
But it’s not just Social Security numbers. The hackers also got their hands on names, dates of birth, home addresses, medical info, and even Medicare claim numbers. This means that a lot of people’s private information is now in the wrong hands.
What’s particularly worrying is that GMA took nine whole months to figure out the breach and tell everyone affected. That’s a long time for hackers to have access to sensitive data.
Adding to the confusion is GMA’s involvement in legal matters with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). While we’re not sure exactly how these legal issues connect to the breach, it definitely raises some eyebrows.
After the discovery of the GMA data breach
After the breach was discovered, GMA called in cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to try to fix the mess. But for the people whose information was stolen, the damage is already done. They now have to worry about identity theft and other frauds.
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This breach reminds us all to take cybersecurity seriously. Whether it’s a big company like GMA or just our personal accounts, we need to be vigilant and ensure that our information is safe.
Moving forward, it’s important for companies to be transparent about breaches and take swift action to protect their customers’ data. Only then can we start to rebuild trust in our digital world.
All images are generated by Eray Eliaçık/Bing
