On June 30, 2023, Clearwater Credit Union (“Clearwater”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Maine after discovering the personal information of 25,660 individuals was leaked as a result of the massive MOVEit vulnerability. In this notice, Clearwater explains that, while the company doesn’t use the MOVEit software, one of its vendors does. Therefore, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names and Social Security numbers. Upon completing its investigation, Clearwater began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

If you received a data breach notification from Clearwater Credit Union, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. The MOVEit vulnerability has resulted in one of, if not the single largest, data breach of 2023. Hackers were able to access an unimaginable amount of personal data following the cyberattack, putting millions of consumers at an increased risk of identity theft. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft as well as discuss your legal options following the Clearwater Credit Union / MOVEit data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Data Breach Affecting Clearwater Credit Union Customers?

The Clearwater Credit Union data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Clearwater’s filing with the Attorney General of Maine provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on June 14, 2023, Clearwater learned that one of the company’s vendors uses MOVEit and that confidential customer information provided to that vendor was subject to unauthorized access. Evidently, the incident started on May 30, 2023 and ended the next day.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Clearwater Credit Union reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name and Social Security number.

On June 30, 2023, Clearwater Credit Union sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of which information of theirs was compromised. It is important to note that this incident did not impact the IT systems of Clearwater Credit Union and was limited to the information Clearwater provided to its vendor.

More Information About Clearwater Credit Union

Founded in 1956, Clearwater Credit Union is a financial institution located in Missoula, Montana. Clearwater is the second-largest credit union in Montana, serving more than 51,000 members through nine branches in and around Missoula. Clearwater Credit Union employs more than 126 people and generates approximately $13 million in annual revenue.