Citigroup Acknowledges Massive Data Breach

American Banker reports that Citigroup recently admitted having failed to safeguard the personal data (including birthdates and Social Security numbers) of approximately 146,000 customers who filed for bankruptcy between 2007 and 2011 (h/t Softpedia).

Citi apparently failed to fully redact court records placed on the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system. “The redaction issues primarily resluted from a limitation in the technology Citi had used to redact personally identifiable information in the filings,” Citi said in a statement. “As a result of this limitation in technology, personally identifiable information could be exposed and read if electronic versions of the court records were accessed and downloaded from the courts’ online docket system and if the person downloading the information had the technical knowledge and software to restore the redacted information.”

In a settlement with the Justice Department’s U.S. Trustee Program, Citi has agreed to redact the customer information, notify all affected debtors and third parties, and offer all those affected a year of free credit monitoring.

Debtors who believe they may have been affected are advised to contact Citigroup Customer Service at (866) 613-5636.

Jeff Goldman
Jeff Goldman
Jeff Goldman has been a technology journalist for more than 20 years and an eSecurity Planet contributor since 2009.

Latest articles

Top Cybersecurity Companies

Get the Free Newsletter!
Subscribe to Cybersecurity Insider for top news, trends & analysis
This email address is invalid.
Get the Free Newsletter!
Subscribe to Cybersecurity Insider for top news, trends & analysis
This email address is invalid.

Related articles