Auto parts giant exposed: 2.3 million customers at risk in massive data breach
Advance Auto Parts, an auto parts retailer with stores throughout the U.S., has been affected by a data breach impacting over 2.3 million people.
The incident is reported to be related to other breaches, such as the recent one at Ticketmaster.
Advance Auto Parts has confirmed that cyberattackers managed to access information, including Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses and other government ID numbers.
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Breach confirmation and scope
On June 19, Advance Auto Parts confirmed that it had been impacted by a data breach, but it only puts current and former employees and job applicants at risk. Advance has now completed its internal investigation into the incident and has determined that it has impacted 2,316,591 people.
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Timeline and details of the breach
“Our investigation determined that an unauthorized third party accessed or copied certain information maintained by Advance Auto Parts from April 14, 2024, to May 24, 2024,” states the notice sent by Advance Auto Parts to affected individuals. “We conducted a detailed review and analysis of the affected information to determine the types of information contained therein and to whom the information relates.”
Exposed information
The company has confirmed that the breach has exposed data, such as full names, Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses and government ID numbers, to hackers. This data is collected as part of Advance’s hiring process, so it seems only employee and applicant data has been leaked.
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Potential hacker involvement
While Advance didn’t name the hacker responsible for the attack, a threat actor known as “Sp1d3r” began selling a massive 3TB database on June 5, 2024. This database allegedly contains 380 million Advance customer records, including orders, transaction details and other sensitive information. Although the number claimed by Sp1d3r is significantly lower than the 2.3 million figure reported by Advance, it’s possible that Sp1d3r was behind the attack.
Part of a larger attack
Hackers gained access to Advance Auto Parts’ data stored on Snowflake, a cloud storage service, for over a month starting in mid-April 2024. This incident reportedly was part of a larger attack targeting Snowflake accounts with stolen credentials. Other companies impacted by this campaign include Pure Storage, Ticketmaster and more.
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What is Advance Auto Parts doing about the breach?
Advance Auto Parts says it promptly terminated the unauthorized access and took proactive measures to prevent future unauthorized access. The company also notified law enforcement and is collaborating with third-party cybersecurity experts to further harden its systems.
The impacted individuals have also been offered free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for 12 months. They can enroll by Oct. 1, 2024.
We contacted Advance Auto Parts for a comment on this story but did not hear back before our deadline.
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7 proactive steps to take in the face of the Advance Auto Parts data breach
If you think you have been affected by the Advance Auto Parts data breach, follow these steps to protect yourself and your personal data.
1. Stay informed: Keep up to date with the latest news from Advance Auto Parts data breach and other reliable sources to know the status of the systems and services.
2. Monitor your accounts and transactions: You should check your online accounts and transactions regularly for any suspicious or unauthorized activity. If you notice anything unusual, report it to the service provider or the authorities as soon as possible. You should also review your credit reports and scores to see if there are any signs of identity theft or fraud.
3. Use identity theft protection: Identity theft protection companies can monitor personal information, like your home title, Social Security Number, phone number and email address, and alert you if it is being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.
4. Change your passwords: Although Advance Auto Parts says your personal details like phone number and email address haven’t been leaked, it’s still advisable to change your passwords. Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords.
5. Vigilance against phishing: Be extra cautious of phishing attempts as cyberattacks often lead to an increase in phishing emails and calls trying to exploit the situation. The best way to protect yourself from clicking malicious links that install malware that may get access to your private information is to have strong antivirus protection installed on all your devices. This can also alert you of any phishing emails or ransomware scams. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
6. Be wary of mailbox communications: Bad actors may also try to scam you through snail mail. The data leak gives them access to your address. They may impersonate people or brands you know and use themes that require urgent attention, such as missed deliveries, account suspensions and security alerts.
7. Invest in personal data removal services: While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.
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Kurt’s key takeaway
Hackers are launching campaigns that target big corporations. Recently, we saw a cyberattack that paralyzed CDK Global, and now, again in the automobile industry, Advance Auto Parts has been targeted. These companies need to fortify their systems so that they don’t get affected by such attacks. Also, the government needs to come up with required laws that should ban the retention of customers’ personal details, unless necessary.
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