Cybercriminals breached the cloud system of Heights Finance, a debt consolidation loan company, in May, compromising sensitive financial information and personal data of approximately 750,000 customers. The company reported that 734,828 individuals were affected by the breach, which was disclosed to regulators in Texas last week. Heights Finance operates multiple personal loan companies across Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, and South Carolina, and has since published a warning to its customers regarding the incident.
The stolen data includes a range of sensitive information such as contact details, banking information including account and routing numbers, and government IDs like Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. Additionally, any personal information shared during customer service interactions was also compromised.
The breach was detected on May 7 when a hacker accessed a cloud-based platform used by Heights Finance to store customer data. The company clarified that the breach was limited to this platform and did not impact its loan management systems or other networks. Heights Finance has since confirmed that the cloud platform is secure and that there is no ongoing security threat.
The breach affects anyone who has received a loan from Heights Finance or inquired about its loan products through third parties, including customers of its parent company, Curo Management.
As of now, no hacking group has claimed responsibility for the breach. Heights Finance has engaged a cybersecurity firm to monitor the dark web for any leaked information. The company stated, “Our specialist is actively scanning dark web forums, marketplaces, and other platforms. As of this writing, they have not found any evidence that information involved in this incident is on the dark web.”
Heights Finance operates over 285 offices across 11 states and has faced legal scrutiny in the past for its lending practices. The company was previously sued by the federal government for allegedly targeting borrowers in financial distress, which led to accusations of generating revenue through fees from borrowers who frequently refinance their loans.
For more details, visit The Record.
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