Epsilon: Millions caught in email breach

Millions of live e-mail addresses are thought to have been stolen in an attack on US marketing firm Epsilon.It handles customer communications for many household names and sends more than 40 billion e-mails annually.Epsilon has more than 2,500 clients including Best Buy, TiVo, Walgreens, Capital One, JP Morgan and Citigroup.Many Epsilon clients have contacted customers warning that attackers may use the stolen data to con them out of more information.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12958925Also see:After Breach, Companies Warn of E-Mail Fraud
Security experts said Monday that millions of people were at increased risk of e-mail swindles after a giant security breach at an online marketing firm.The breach exposed the names and e-mail addresses of customers of some of the nation’s largest companies, including JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Target and Walgreens.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/business/05hack.htmlAbout 50 clients hit by Epsilon e-mail marketing breach [IDG]
About 50 companies were affected by a major security breach at e-mail service provider Epsilon Interactive that caused many U.S. corporations to warn their customers of online attacks Monday.Epsilon first warned of the incident Friday, saying that someone had got into company systems and obtained e-mail addresses and names belonging to some of its customers. But it wasn’t immediately clear how many of its 2,500 clients were at risk. Epsilon is still being tight-lipped about the problem, but it has now given a clearer picture of how many companies are affected.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9215488/About_50_clients_hit_by_Epsilon_e_mail_marketing_breach
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/040511-about-50-clients-hit-by.html
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/224258/.htmlAttackers Steal Major Retailers’, Financial Firms’ Customer Email Data
On the surface, the massive hack of email service provider Epsilon might seem relatively benign — no credit card accounts, Social Security numbers, or source code were stolen, just millions of email addresses and, in some cases, full names. But security experts say the attack, which affects customers of major retailers and financial institutions, could reverberate for years to come with phishing, spamming, and targeted attacks against individuals and businesses.Last Friday Epsilon revealed it had discovered on March 30 that some of its clients’ customer information was exposed by a hack into its internal email system. “The information that was obtained was limited to email addresses and/or customer names only. A rigorous assessment determined that no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk. A full investigation is currently underway,” the company said in a statement on its website.
www.darkreading.com/database-security/167901020/security/attacks-breaches/229400828/attackers-steal-major-retailers-financial-firms-customer-email-data.html