Major data breach at US credit card giant leaves millions of Americans at risk

There has been a major data breach at a US credit card giant that has left millions of Americans at risk.

Consumers are being warned about the breach at credit reporting firm TransUnion which has impacted over 4.4 million people across the country.

This includes personal data being exposed, according to documents that were filed with the attorney general of Maine.

However, before we all panic just yet, according to TransUnion, none of the information that was revealed includes data about users’ credit.

That being said, cyber criminals were able to access other sensitive information including social security numbers.

There has been a major data breach at a US credit card giant (Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In a report by the Daily Mail, it revealed information from BleepingComputer which claimed that the breach was actually all a part of a wider hack targeting a Google database that is managed through the Salesforce cloud platform.

This was carried out by a hacking group known as ShinyHounters which stole a vast amount of information in the breach, although Google has said that no passwords were uncovered.

What should you do if you have been impacted by the security breach?

In order to tighten your cybersecurity measures, it is advised to change your password immediately, as well as freeze your credit and alert your bank if there is any fraudulent activity.

It is also possible to activate fraud alerts with your bank accounts so that any suspicious activity will be instantly flagged.

In a letter to its customers, TransUnion said: “We recently experienced a cyber incident involving a third-party application serving our US consumer support operations. The unauthorized access includes some limited personal information belonging to you.”

The cyber attack has impacted over 4.4 million people across the country (seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Getty Images)

In a statement, the credit giant stated: “'The incident involved unauthorized access to limited personal information for a very small percentage of US consumers.

“We are working with law enforcement and have engaged third party cyber security experts for an independent forensics review.”

In other news, Android users were placed on a red alert after being asked to follow four new rules in order to stay safe.

This comes after a new threat was flagged for targeting certain smartphones as, according to experts in security at Bitdefender, it was revealed that there had been a spike in the amount of devices being infiltrated with malware.

In particular, Brokewell malware has been infecting phones, which is a bug capable of spying, stealing messages and even taking control of the devices remotely.

Through this, cyber criminals are able to gain access to sensitive information including passcodes and banking details.