On February 9, 2024, Veolia North America (“Veolia”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Montana after learning that the company was recently the target of a ransomware attack. In this notice, Veolia explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party accessing consumers’ sensitive information, including their name, Social Security number, financial information or payment card number, date of birth, government identification, and driver’s license number. Upon completing its investigation, Veolia 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 Veolia North America, 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 Veolia data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
What Caused the Veolia Data Breach?
The Veolia data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Veolia’s filing with the Attorney General of Montana provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on January 9, 2024, Veolia detected suspicious activity within its computer network. In response, Veolia secured its systems and then began working with third-party forensics specialists to investigate the incident. Veolia also notified law enforcement.
Ultimately, Veolia’s investigation confirmed that an unauthorized party was able to gain access to the company’s IT network through a ransomware attack targeting “multiple back-end systems.” As a result, certain files stored on Veolia’s network were accessed or acquired by the unauthorized party, including those that contained confidential consumer information.
After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Veolia 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, Social Security number, financial information or payment card number, date of birth, government identification, and driver’s license number.
On February 9, 2024, Veolia 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 what information belonging to them was compromised.
More Information About Veolia North America
Veolia North America is the North American division of Veolia Group, a French utility and energy company. Veolia operates hundreds of sites, plants and facilities across the U.S. and provides residential water services to residents in certain areas of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Idaho and Delaware. Veolia employs more than 10,000 people and generates approximately $3 billion in annual revenue.
