Nashville Staffing Company Data Breach Affects 1400 Individuals
Table of Contents
- By David Lukic
- Published: Oct 29, 2021
- Last Updated: Mar 18, 2022
Data has never had more value than it does now. It is the lifeblood of every company or organization and key to many company processes and functions. In the wrong hands, organizational data can easily be used for many criminal purposes.
What Happened in the Wise Company Data Breach?
On October 5th, a staffing company in Nashville fell victim to a data breach, and over 1000 individuals’ personal information was compromised.
Wise Staffing Group is a human resource company with headquarters in Mississippi but has multiple branches in other states. Their unit in Nashville, Tennessee, recently reached out to 1400 people that had submitted personal data to them at some point. The company explained to these individuals that their personal information had been compromised in a recent data breach on the Nashville department.
Although some affected persons did not remember that they had applied with the group, the company stated they were required to inform anyone involved according to their information security policy.
What Security Measures did the Company Take?
According to an email one of the managers sent to some of the people affected, the data breach was an,
“... unauthorized publication of personal information included within an email attachment to a limited number of email accounts.”
In the circulated email, the Wise company assured the affected individuals that they had carried out an investigation and measures were taken to ensure such a situation did not repeat itself. They reiterated that the company takes information security very seriously, and they are confident that the breach was an isolated event that will not affect any company process.
Although the hackers had not yet used the leaked data for any wrong purpose, Wise Group felt it was necessary to inform the affected people of the potential risk of identity theft. The company advised the individuals to place fraud alerts on their credit files. These alerts would help keep their credit information safe and inform anyone requesting their credit report that the account holder might have been a fraud victim.
What is a Data Breach?
A data breach occurs when an unauthorized person or group gains access to confidential or sensitive information. They can then use the stolen information for malicious reasons by the hacker.
Most data breaches occur because of a weakness in:
- Security of the software, or
- User behavior.
Unfortunately, data breach cases are still increasing despite the many security measures companies take to protect their data. In the first half of 2021 alone, the number of data breaches was about 76% of the total breaches in 2020. The average cost of a data breach for companies globally is about $3.86 million, and 31% of individuals affected by a data breach later experience identity theft.
Like computers, mobile devices, and software become more connected, the number of points where data can slip through increases. Technology seems to be advancing faster than security measures can protect it.
However, following best practices online will help keep companies and individuals safe and secure their information from criminals.
