Two Tesla Employees Expose Confidential Company Data

Tesla, an Austin-Texas-based automaker specializing in electric vehicles, employs more than 127,000 workers worldwide today. The automaker has an annual revenue of 53.8 Billion USD and is a significant company that employees rely on to protect their data. Recently, two Tesla employees gave away information that resulted in a breach that could significantly impact workers. 

How Did the Attack Occur?

Two Tesla Employees gave away protected information to Handelsblatt, a news media outlet. The employees were quickly charged with a lawsuit, but a substantial amount of data had already been given away at that point. The employee's electronic devices were seized, but other details surrounding the lawsuit are unknown. It's important to note that this data loss doesn't prove that Tesla servers are unreliable. Employees with access to sensitive data decided to misuse that information. No hacking was necessary to acquire the data. 

What Information Was Viewed or Stolen?

We don't know the specific information given away in this data breach. We only know that employee information was released and that employees may be at risk, especially if either of the two employees copied or released the data in any other way. It's concerning that we don't know the total scope of information lost to this breach, and it's possible that more data was released than we realize. Each employee that's marked for possible involvement in this breach should be wary of what data of theirs was made public and how much information was lost overall. 

How Did Tesla Admit to the Breach?

Tesla reported the breach to the Maine Attorney General's office, detailing that approximately 75,735 people had their data exposed because of the actions of those two employees. The notice does not specify what information was exposed exactly, it only says that data was exposed. We suspect that Tesla also sent out individual notices to each of the more than 75k individuals marked as being involved in the breach, but we aren't certain of that. 

What Will Become of the Stolen Information?

All the data stolen from Tesla was given to Handelsblatt and could be misused by the receiving employee there. It's unclear whether any additional parties were given access to the confidential information. While it's unlikely that the data will be misused by the individuals receiving it, other than reporting a story based on it, it is possible. Employees should be concerned about what happens with their data and the potential for abuse that's there. 

What Should Affected Parties Do in the Aftermath of the Breach?

If you learn you were one of the affected parties of the Tesla breach, you should check your credit and watch over your accounts to ensure that your credit isn't abused. It seems unlikely that identity theft will occur because of the lost information, but it's still a possibility that must be considered. It would be worth it to invest in a credit monitoring service for additional protection after this data loss and for future losses.