Around 15,000 customers of Metro Mobility notified about data breach

A data breach in Metro Mobility might have exposed personal information of around 15,000 individuals using it. Metro Mobility has been an invaluable transportation service for numerous people having both the physical as well as developmental disabilities, and who need to move around Twin Cities. This public service is providing shared rides in the small buses that are equipped with the wheelchair lifts to around 62,000 people. All these people are certified as incapable to use the buses or light-rail because of a health condition or a disability.

Metro Mobility has discovered on Aug. 14, 2019, that email account of an employee had been subjected to unauthorized access. Upon investigation, the company determined that the hackers were able to gain access to that employee email account on June 13, 2019.

As a result, the customers were notified by Metro Mobility that e-mail account of a Metro Mobility employee was hacked by unauthorized person, thus compromising the personal ride information in between Jun. 13, 2019, and Aug. 14, 2019. The hacker might have accessed the patient data that was stored in the compromised employee email account including individual rider names, dates as well as times of the rides, pickup and the drop-off addresses, along with any kind of special instructions given to the Metro Mobility drivers. However, the company is not aware about any information misuse.

A notice sent to the customers on August 23, 2019, states that "we don't know whether the person viewed your information or took your information from the employee's account. As soon as we discovered the unauthorized access, we secured the e-mail account". The notice also said that personal financial data and Social security numbers were not compromised.

The officials in the Metropolitan Council, who oversees the Metro Mobility, said that an internal investigation was launched and they will produce a report about how this breach has occurred. The agency also reported about this breach to police department of St. Paul.

Metro Mobility breach is the most latest in many recent cyberattacks involving the public agencies serving the Minnesotans. Minnesota IT Services, which provides the technology services to the state agencies, said that it blocks more than 8,000 e-mail threats on daily basis.

» SPAMfighter News - 9/23/2019