Mercedes-Benz USA announced a data breach at one of its vendors, exposing sensitive and personal information of customers and potential buyers.
The incident affected fewer than 1,000 customers, according to the company.
Customers who provided various personal details on Mercedes-Benz websites between January 1, 2014, and June 19, 2017, collected the information.
The data was “inadvertently made accessible” after being saved on a vendor’s cloud storage platform.
After an external security researcher discovered the flaw, the vendor immediately fixed it.
Information such as driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, and credit card numbers may have been exposed from customers and potential customers throughout the affected time period.
The data breach also includes self-reported credit scores and dates of birth.
To acquire access to the actual data, the vehicle company claims that sophisticated software programs and tools are required.
A search of the internet yielded no results for the information included in these files.
Customers’ names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers make up the vast majority of the information stolen.
Those who had more sensitive information exposed, such as a Social Security number or credit card information, will receive a free 24-month credit monitoring subscription.
The Mercedes-Benz began contacting the customers affected by data breach and would notify the proper government organizations.
“We will continue our investigation to ensure that this situation is properly addressed,” said Mercedes-Benz in a press release.
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