GM Data Breach Exposes Car Owner Personal Information

The Lyon Firm is investigating the GM data breach on behalf of car owners across the country. Contact the firm if you have been sent notice.

General Motors has announced that customers were the subject of a cyberattack levied against the automaker in April 2022, according to a letter filed with the California Attorney General.

The breach was discovered after GM began investigating a number of  suspicious login attempts to customer accounts from April 11-29. The automaker confirmed around 140 breached accounts, in which the attackers redeemed reward points for gift cards.

GM says there is no evidence that the attack used credentials or a login vulnerability from its systems directly, and determined that the data breach stemmed from elsewhere on the internet. GM says that those responsible may have had access to the following personal information:

• First and last name
• Personal email address
• Home address
• Username
• Phone number
• Last known and saved favorite location
• OnStar package (if applicable)
• Family members’ avatars and photos
• Profile picture
• Search and destination information
• Reward card activity
• Fraudulently redeemed reward points

What is Credential Stuffing?

The GM data breach began with a type of attack called “credential stuffing.” This can occur when a bad actor uses credentials that have been previously dumped as the result of another breach and logs in to systems using these credentials.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated data breach lawyer and Privacy Attorney representing plaintiffs nationwide in class action security breach lawsuits.

Can You Sue following the GM Data Breach?

Entities that collect and store data have a duty to protect personal information to the best of their ability. When they are negligent, and a data theft incident occurs, they may be liable for the following:

• Improperly monitoring data security systems for existing intrusions
• Not ensuring that vendors with access to computer systems and data employ reasonable security procedures
• Improperly training employees in handling emails containing personal data and maintain adequate email security practices
• Failure to implement technical policies and procedures to allow electronic data access only to individuals or software programs granted access rights
• Failure to implement procedures to review records of information system activity regularly, such as audit logs, access reports and security incident tracking reports
• Improperly protecting against reasonably anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of stored data

An experienced class action privacy attorney can determine if you are eligible to file a data breach lawsuit or join a class of plaintiffs. Lawyers investigating the matter can assist in determining the following:

• Did General Motors fail to adopt security safeguards that would have prevented a breach?
• Did General Motors notify customers as soon as it learned of the incident?
• Did GM provide a complete list of all individuals impacted?
• Did GM provide security in line with industry standards?

What Should You Do Following the GM Data Breach?

Regardless of the reason for a security breach, victims have the right to file a claim against a company for failing to protect their information. All companies and organizations must exercise reasonable care in protecting patient information, and if they do not, they can be held liable for the damages that result, including identity theft.

Security breach plaintiffs and privacy attorneys representing plaintiffs have been able to settle multi-million dollar recoveries. If you or a loved one has received notice of an online security incident affecting you, or suspect signs of identity theft, contact a data theft lawyer for a free consultation.

Individuals can be ruined financially and emotionally, and deserve proper online security measures. But many companies and hospitals violate privacy laws and consumer rights, and thus face class action lawsuits.

After a data breach turns your life upside down, remember that you are not the only victim. There are millions of Americans who suffer from data privacy events every year, and in turn, seek legal action for compensation and to hold companies accountable for negligent security systems.

If you want more information on current data security litigation and how to file a data theft class action lawsuit, contact The Lyon Firm for a free and confidential GM data breach case review.