A recent data breach at an insurance tech company exposed the information of about 27.7 million Texas drivers, the Colorado-based firm announced.
Vertafore, which uses driver data to help insurance companies, said the breach occurred earlier this year when three files containing names, dates of birth, license numbers and vehicle registration history were uploaded to an unauthorized server.
The breach could affect anyone holding a Texas driver’s license issued before February 2019.
The company made the announcement on its website, blaming the breach on human error.
According a press release, the data was put at risk in March when someone placed three company files on “an unsecured external storage service that appears to have been accessed without authorization.” The files were removed from the device in August, and that’s when its investigators determined there was a leak.
Vertafore said it has contracted a “leading intelligence firm” to determine whether data had been misused, but it “did not find any evidence.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety, which issues licenses and state ID cards, said Friday the breach did not affect the security of its servers.
DPS added that the Texas Attorney General’s office, DPS, Department of Motor Vehicles and federal authorities “are all looking into the matter.”
According to Vertafore, the compromised files did not contain photographs, Social Security numbers, signatures or other identifying characteristics on licenses like height, eye color or gender identity.
The leaked vehicle registration data, however, did contain whether drivers had a lien on vehicles, as well as vehicle identification numbers, license plate information and a vehicle’s year, make and model, it said.
The company was notified of the breach by a “trusted third party,” according to the company and has been investigating the event and the extent to which data may have been impacted, according to the company.
Vertafore has reported the matter to the Texas Attorney General, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and U.S. federal law enforcement.
Vertafore is offering a year’s worth of credit checks and identity restoration for those affected by the breach.
To find out whether you’ve been affected by this breach, go to Vertafore’s website.
