Epsilon Email Lists Hacked: If You Were Affected, What Does it Mean?

The first email I received as a result of the hacking of Epsilon came from US Bank. I didn't open it at first; there was nothing about it that struck me as urgent. I became curious with a second look and clicked.

I really didn't take it seriously. As most of us know, some emails or supposed alerts will warn you of an impending threat, only to have you download what they are offering as a fix. Once you do that, you might discover the only problem you have is what you just downloaded.

After reading it through and doing a little research, I learned that indeed a Dallas-based online marketing company calling itself Epsilon had been hacked.

Later, I received a similar notification from Disney Vacations. I had enrolled for the Disney newsletter to begin looking at a family vacation a couple of months ago. So far, those are the only companies I have received communication from.

What if you didn't get notification?

That in itself is a little troubling, as I do hold a credit card from Citi Bank. Citi is one of the companies losing track of its information. One should expect something from them also. SecurityWeek.com reports Citi sent Twitter alerts out. I suppose the incident is a reminder to update contact information. The site also has a list of companies affected, so you can see if you should have been told.

Should you ignore the threat?

Security Week points out that while some may dismiss the type of data harvested as a minor threat, having access to customer lists opens the opportunity for targeted phishing attacks to customers who expect communications from these brands.

Most people using the Internet today know not to give information to phishing emails, but with the inside information obtained in the hack, they may let their guard down. When a phishing message comes with personal information such as address or name, the first line of defense is breached.

What can be done to protect information?

Personally, I often don't even read statement update emails or the like, but use them as reminders to go to my accounts and look at them at my convenience. Because of the newsletters, groups, and blogs I participate in or post on, I have also segregated my email to different addresses according to the expected source.

I for one am not happy with the extra risk companies expose their customers to by outsourcing so much of their activity. A third-party company is seeking profit by handling information as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Their first priority isn't necessarily the protection of information. I'm sure other consumers would join me in saying we would be more comfortable doing business with organizations that kept all information in house.