Thousands Of Drivers’ Social Security Numbers Exposed In Data Breach

The California Department of Motor Vehicles data breach gave outside agencies unauthorised access to the social security information of 3,200 drivers.

Officials revealed that the Social Security numbers in question were exposed to seven federal agencies over the last four years. 

The security incident was discovered and immediately rectified by the DMV on the 2nd of August 2019. Spokeswoman Anita Gore stated that the breach was an error and not a targeted attack by an external party: 

“Protection of personal information is important to DMV, and we have taken additional steps to correct this error, protect this information and reaffirm our serious commitment to protect the privacy rights of all license holders.”

The seven outside agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service, and District Attorneys in San Diego and Santa Clara counties, were able to access information on whether a license holder had a verified Social Security Card. 

This case of improper access is incredibly concerning for illegal immigrants who were issued driver’s licenses by the state.

State officials have promised that the data on those licence holders would not be shared with immgration agencies. 

Reducing your exposure to a data breach.

Data Breach Arises From DMV’s Struggle With Technology Deficiencies 

Heavily criticised for their poor management practices and issues with technology over the last year, DMV have also struggled to overcome long wait times at field offices, computer crashes, and tens of thousands of errors in automatically registering people to vote, leaving customers outraged with their experience. 

This series of events calls for a systematic review of DMV’s current practices around the handling and storing of data. 

How RiskView Can Find And Protect Your Information

RiskView is a seamless technology that can locate issues of unauthorised data sharing, assist with data breach investigations, and ultimately enhance management practices when security incidents occur. 

Had DMV implemented RiskView, the organisation would have been able to quickly take action and limit reputational damage. 

With the ability to search through unstructured data sources and auto redact confidential information, our services ensure you understand your exposure to risk. Contact the team today to book a demonstration.