Discount store Dollar Tree (DLTR) -) is the latest victim of a data breach that has exposed the names, social security numbers and birthdays of roughly 2 million current and former employees, which could put them at risk for a plethora of cyberattacks.
The data breach took place within a third-party company the discount store uses called Zeroed-In which discovered “suspicious activity related to certain network systems” on Aug. 8, according to a new letter sent to those who were affected by the breach.
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The individuals who were affected are being offered 12 months of free credit monitoring services through TransUnion as well as proactive fraud assistance. The breach has also impacted Family Dollar employees.
The amount of data breaches in the U.S. so far this year have outpaced last year’s numbers, reaching a high that hasn’t been seen in at least six years, according to data from the Identity Theft Resource Center. The data also highlights that cyberattacks have been the most common attack vector in the third quarter of 2023, effecting over 63 million people.
Hackers can use stolen data for a variety of reasons. Stolen data such as names, social security numbers, birthdays, addresses, etc. can be used for identity theft which thieves can use to commit crimes under an individual's name or use for the sole purpose of damaging a person's reputation.
They can also use stolen data to make a profit by selling it to the dark web. For example, a social security number can sell for roughly $1 each on the dark web, according to an estimate from Keeper Security. Complete medical records are the most profitable for cyber criminals as they can sell for up to $1,000 each.
Hacked Gmail accounts can also sell for $60 each. Also stolen online banking logins with a minimum of $2,000 in the account can sell for $60 each as well, according to a Dark Web Price Index study.
Hackers can even use stolen information to conduct personalized phishing attacks which are created to trick individuals into clicking on suspicious links to reveal more personal information about them, such as financial details, or to download malware onto their device. Phishing attacks are the most common cybercrime, with roughly 3.4 billion phishing emails sent daily.
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