Weekly Cybersecurity Recap June 30

Nobody is safe from the latest round of data breaches plaguing American government offices, major corporations, and school districts. This week the NYC Department of Education along with the city of Fort Worth, Texas, were both targets of data breaches. Also, retired California educators and public servants were hit by a breach, making it clear that the US government is a key target for most hackers. Individuals using ChatGPT should also be aware that the service isn't secure and that thousands are losing sensitive data to attackers taking advantage of the tool's vulnerabilities. Get more details about this week's breaches below. 

Fort Worth Texas

The city of Fort Worth, Texas, was the latest target for a data breach by the hacker group known as SiegedSec. The group took more than 500,000 government documents and files from the city and posted them for all to see online. The hacker group claims it isn't seeking money and is instead making a stand against the government. The hackers targeted Texas for being the largest state banning gender-affirming care. There is no evidence that personal data was lost in this breach. 

CalPERS and CalSTRS

CalPERS and CalSTRS are in charge of managing California public service employee retirement and California teacher retirement, were both involved in a recent data breach that put so many retirees in jeopardy. The two organizations both relied on PBI Research Services to hold and manage their data, and that company suffered a breach in May of 2023. Government agencies were quickly notified, and involved retirees were notified via individual letters. If you were involved, you should be aware that your full name, Social Security number, and other personal data could have been exposed in this breach. 

NYC Dept of Education

The NYC Department of Education oversees more than 1 million students in public schools throughout the city and manages a large amount of personal and financial data while overseeing that role. The organizing body suffered a major data breach when its file transfer tool MOVEit was breached. In the breach, student evaluations, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and other personal details were lost. More than 45,000 students and some parents and faculty had their information stolen in this breach. The district sent out individual notices to those involved. 

American and Southwest Airline Pilots

Pilot and cadet applicants for both Southwest Airlines and American Airlines just had their data stolen from the tool that was responsible for managing applicant documents. Pilot Credentials' suffered a data breach on April 30, 2023, and quickly notified the two airlines that it was being targeted. Nearly 9,000 applicants between the two airlines were impacted by the breach and had their personal documents, such as Social Security numbers, Driver's License numbers, Airman certificates, and more, exposed. If you receive a notice about this breach and you recently applied for a position at either airline, you should take measures to protect yourself. 

ChatGPT

Since the Summer of 2022, thousands of ChatGPT user accounts have been hacked for their data. ChatGPT ai users are quickly learning their information isn't safe, and it's leading to serious financial issues for some. With over 4,000 ChatGPT-based breaches in North America and many more in other countries, the issue is becoming a serious problem. ChatGPT users are losing credit card data, their crypto wallet access, personal information, email accounts, and so much more through the program. If you must use ChatGPT, take caution to protect your information and to keep the program from saving as much as possible.