California's public pension systems | Massive Pension System Hacks | June 25.2023
Channel: Hacking Space Frontier
Date: 2023-06-25

Hackers targeted the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS), stealing personal information of retirees and beneficiaries. CalPERS reported that approximately 769,000 individuals had their names, social security numbers, birth dates, and other confidential information compromised. The breach occurred due to a vulnerability in a vendor's cybersecurity system. CalSTRS confirmed a similar breach but did not disclose the number of affected individuals. The hackers claimed that numerous businesses, government agencies, and entities worldwide were victims of the attack, with approximately 100 organizations acknowledging data theft. CalPERS and CalSTRS offered affected members two years of free credit monitoring and identity restoration services. The breach also potentially exposed information regarding members' employers, spouses, domestic partners, and children. The third-party vendor responsible for the breach, PBI Research Services + Berwyn Group, notified CalPERS on June 6, prompting the organization to implement security measures. CalPERS faced criticism for the delay in informing affected members, with concerns raised about potential risks to their financial accounts. The hacker group exploited a vulnerability in the vendor's MoveIt Transfer software, which led to unauthorized access to sensitive data. Progress Software, the developer of MoveIt Transfer, faced lawsuits alleging negligence. While CalPERS assured members that their systems remained secure, they recommended that affected individuals enroll in credit monitoring services and regularly review their accounts and credit reports.