'Massive' Epsilon E-Mail Breach Hits Citi, Chase, Many More2011-04-04 09:50 by DanielaTags: Epsilon, security, e-mail
The Epsilon e-mail breach has escalated into a "massive breach," according to SecurityWeek blogger Mike Lennon. The breach was first noted on March 31, when Epsilon, a marketing firm whose services include permission-based e-mail marketing and database hosting, began notifying its customers of potential data exposure thanks to an unauthorized entry into Epsilon's e-mail system. According to Epsilon, the information compromised was "limited to e-mail addresses and/or customer names only," and "no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk." One of Epsilon's clients, grocery chain The Kroger Co., subsequently notified its customers that the database had been breached, and urged its customers to be wary of e-mail from senders they did not know. Later, it was revealed that JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, Marriott Rewards, McKinsey Quarterly, US Bank, Citi, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, Brookstone, Walgreens, The College Board, and the Home Shopping Network (HSN) have joined the ranks. SecurityWeek notes that while the information harvested may seem like a "minor threat" - after all, it's just e-mail addresses - targeted phishing messages to these customers are likely to yield a higher "hit rate" than a blind spamming campaign. In other words, people are much more likely to click on an e-mail (or link within an e-mail) that addresses them by name and purports to be from Citi Bank (especially when Citi Bank is the bank they use) then they are to click on an e-mail that addresses them as "Big Guy" and purports to be from a male "growth" company. Read more -here-
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sava700 - 2011-04-04 19:51
This made national news too.. serious stuff! Hope everyone passes the word to family and friends or else there may be issues!
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