Nearly 28 million Texas drivers affected in data breach, software company says
An insurance software company announced that 27.7 million Texas drivers had their information — including names, dates of birth, addresses and vehicle registration histories — potentially exposed in a data breach.
Vertafore, an insurance company that offers technology solutions, said the breach may have occurred as early as Marchand could impact 27.7 million people.
The exposed files contained information on driver’s licenses issued before February 2019.
/There were about 23.7 million Texans with a driver’s license as of October 2019, according to the state comptroller’s office. That’s roughly 82% of the state’s population.
“Vertafore takes data privacy and security very seriously. The company has safeguards to protect its information and systems, with dedicated internal teams and partnerships with leading external firms,” the company said in its statement “Vertafore recently determined that as a result of human error, three data files were inadvertently stored in an unsecured external storage service that appears to have been accessed without authorization.”
According to Vertafore’s statement, the breach was believed to have taken place sometime between March 11 and Aug. 1.
Social Security numbers or financial account information were not included in the breach.
“Immediately upon becoming aware of the issue, Vertafore secured the potentially affected files and has been investigating the event and the extent to which data may have been impacted,” the statement said. “A leading consulting firm with expertise in these matters is assisting in the investigation, and Vertafore has reported the matter to the Texas Attorney General, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and U.S. federal law enforcement.”
The company is offering those impacted by the breach one year of free credit monitoring and identity restoration service “in recognition that these services offer valuable protection in other contexts beyond this event,” the website said.
Those who believe they have been affected can find more information here.
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 11:43 AM.