On August 18, 2023, Tesla filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Maine after discovering that sensitive employee information was made available to an unauthorized party. In this notice, Tesla explains that 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, Tesla 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 Tesla, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. 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 Tesla, Inc. data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Tesla, Inc. Breach?

The Tesla, Inc. data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Tesla’s filing with the Attorney General of Maine provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on May 10, 2023, a foreign media outlet informed Tesla that it had obtained confidential information belonging to Tesla. In response, Tesla took steps to contain the incident and then launched an investigation to learn more about what happened and what information may have been compromised.

The Tesla investigation confirmed that two former Tesla employees misappropriated certain information and shared it with the media outlet.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Tesla, Inc. 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. Tesla notes that the media outlet has indicated it will not publish the data and is legally prohibited from doing so.

On August 18, 2023, Tesla, Inc. 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.

More Information About Tesla

Tesla, Inc. is an automobile and technology company based in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles as well as energy storage devices. Tesla also operates over 1,000 sales, service, and delivery centers in the United States and abroad. Tesla, Inc. employs more than 99,000 people and generates approximately $62 billion in annual revenue.