Australian financial services company Latitude Financial Services has revealed that roughly 14 million records were stolen in a cyberattack earlier this month. The incident was first disclosed in mid-March when the company started notifying roughly 300,000 customers of a data breach impacting their personal information. In an updated notification, the company this week disclosed that the incident, which has caused service disruptions, was bigger than initially determined.
The attackers initially gained access to Latitude’s systems through two service providers, however, on March 16, the attackers managed to compromise the company’s network. To contain the incident, the company took some systems offline, which has caused disruption to their services. An investigation has revealed that the attackers stole roughly 7.9 million driver license numbers, 6.1 million other records, and 53,000 passport numbers, along with monthly financial statements for less than 100 customers. Latitude is now notifying all customers, past customers and applicants whose information was stolen, outlining the details of the information stolen and their plans for remediation.
The type of cyberattack that Latitude fell victim to has not been revealed, however, the fact that the company took systems offline suggests that it may have been a ransomware attack. The incident serves as a reminder to organizations of all sizes to ensure that their networks are secure and that their security measures are regularly updated.
In summary, Australian financial services company Latitude Financial Services was the victim of a cyberattack earlier this month, which resulted in the theft of 14 million records. This included 7.9 million driver license numbers, 6.1 million other records, and 53,000 passport numbers, along with financial statements for less than 100 customers. The company is now notifying those affected and has taken systems offline to contain the incident, suggesting that it may have been a ransomware attack. This incident serves as a reminder to organizations of the importance of regularly updating their networks and security measures.