Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Verizon Acknowledges Breach of ‘Basic’ Customer Contact Data

    By
    Robert Lemos
    -
    March 26, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Verizon Data Breach 2

      A few weeks after Verizon released a report outlining 18 common data breach scenarios—dressed up with names such as “The Snake Bite” and “The Imperfect Stranger”—the company embarrassingly had to acknowledge its own breach.

      Call it “Scenario 19 – Ironic Injection.”

      Attackers used a flaw in the company’s Web portal for enterprise customers to steal data on its clients, Verizon said. The compromise resulted in the leak of information on 1.5 million customers, which were offered up for sale on a closed forum for $100,000, according to security-industry researcher and journalist Brian Krebs, who first reported the breach.

      Verizon claims the company was already aware of the breach before it was contacted by Krebs.

      “Verizon Enterprise Solutions recently discovered and fixed a security vulnerability on our enterprise client portal,” the company said in a statement sent to eWEEK. “Our investigation to date found an attacker obtained basic contact information on a number of our enterprise customers. No customer proprietary network information (CPNI) or other data was accessed or accessible. The impacted customers are currently being notified.”

      While Verizon did not confirm that 1.5 million customers were impacted, a spokesperson stressed that consumer data was not part of the breach.

      As the author of the annual Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), which collects information on and analyzes thousands of breaches every year, Verizon is familiar with the standard ways that attackers infiltrate corporate networks and servers.

      While the company has not yet released this year’s DBIR, Verizon did release a collection of brief case studies on March 1 that detailed 18 different cases of compromise, removing identifying details of the companies involved.

      In each case, Verizon described the incident with high-level characteristics and a pithy moniker. Hackers infiltrating a water company’s network became the case of “The Dark Shadow,” while a film executive inadvertently infecting systems with a malware-laden USB stick became the case of “The Porta Bella.”

      Verizon has not released additional details of the portal flaw of its breach, and the company spokesperson did not answer whether Verizon will detail its own security incident.

      Other security firms were quick to pounce on the well-known business’s apparent failure to protect customer data.

      Adam Levin, chairman and founder of identity security firm IDT911, focused on the impact that “basic contact information” could have on Verizon customers.

      “Customers who have been exposed are now prime targets for targeted phishing attacks,” he said in an email statement sent to eWEEK. “They must be careful not to click on suspicious links or authenticate themselves to anyone who contacts them lest they become unwitting co-conspirators in the theft of their own identities.”

      John Prisco, CEO of endpoint-security firm Triumfant, argued that too many companies in the industry are not focused on preventing breaches.

      “Ask yourself why the company that writes the annual DBIR has itself been breached,” he said in a statement sent to eWEEK. “The answer is that the cyber companies receiving billions of dollars of funding are spending it on drive-time radio and other marketing hype; not enough on software development.”

      Yet, the lack of truly sensitive information suggested that Verizon was overall taking the right actions to protect information, according to Deral Heiland, research lead for global services at vulnerability-management firm Rapid7.

      “On a positive note, if the attackers did not gain access to other critical information, such as financial data, or PII information, such as Social Security numbers (SSNs), this greatly reduces the impact of the breach,” he said in a statement. “Still, loss of contact information is serious and as stated in the report—this data can be used for targeted phishing attacks better known as spear phishing.”

      Robert Lemos
      Robert Lemos is an award-winning freelance journalist who has covered information security, cybercrime and technology's impact on society for almost two decades. A former research engineer, he's written for Ars Technica, CNET, eWEEK, MIT Technology Review, Threatpost and ZDNet. He won the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2003 for his coverage of the Blaster worm and its impact, and the SANS Institute's Top Cybersecurity Journalists in 2010 and 2014.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×