On February 10th, 2021, Pepsi Bottling Ventures (PBV) made known a security breach in which private data from current and former employees had been taken without authorization. The incident, which took place on December 23rd of 2020, was not discovered until January 10th of 2021, leaving a remarkably long window of time for the attackers to access and exploit the data. This security breach has sparked outrage from both the public and the company’s employees, and PBV has been quick to respond with a plan to help protect their staff.
A. Overview of the Situation
The attack was conducted by an unknown third-party, and the data taken included names, email and home addresses, banking account details, government-issued ID numbers, digital signatures, and medical data. This information was obtained without authorization, leaving many of PBV’s employees vulnerable to identity theft. Ryan McConechy from Barrier Networks pointed out that there was a remarkably long time frame between the attack and when PBV realized what had happened.
B. Timeline of Events
The cyber-attack on PBV’s systems occurred on December 23rd of 2020. It wasn’t until January 10th of 2021 that suspicious activities were reported on the company’s IT systems, which eventually led to the discovery of the breach. Following the incident, PBV has disabled all systems and reset all passwords in order to protect their staff. On February 10th, 2021, PBV made the security breach public knowledge.
2. Details of the Cyber-Attack
A. What was Taken
The security breach at Pepsi Bottling Ventures resulted in a large amount of private data being taken from current and former employees without authorization. This data included details of financial accounts, documents with government-issued numbers, driver’s license numbers, social security numbers, and digital signatures. The attackers were also able to access medical data belonging to some of PBV’s employees.
B. How it was Detected
PBV first detected suspicious activities on their IT systems between the 10th and 19th of January 2021. Upon further investigation, they discovered that an unknown third-party had obtained personal and financial information without authorization. They immediately began taking steps to secure their systems and protect their staff’s data.
3. Action Taken by Pepsi Bottling Ventures
A. Disabling Systems
PBV took quick action in response to the security breach by disabling all systems and resetting all passwords. This was done in order to ensure that the attackers would not be able to access any more data or further exploit any information they may have already obtained.
B. Resetting Passwords
In addition to disabling all systems, PBV also reset all passwords in order to prevent further unauthorized access to their systems or data. This was done as soon as the breach was discovered in order to limit any potential damage that could have been done by the attackers.
C. Identity Monitoring Services
In order to help their staff, PBV is offering a year of identity monitoring services through Kroll at no cost to employees. This plan includes credit monitoring, a recent credit report report, online watch services, public persona checkup, quick cash scan, one million dollars in identity fraud insurance, fraud consultation services and identity theft restoration. This program is meant to help protect those affected by the attack from any potential identity theft or financial loss due to the stolen information.
4. Criticism of the Time Frame
A. Ryan McConechy’s Comments
Ryan McConechy from Barrier Networks has criticized PBV for allowing such a long time frame between the attack and when they discovered it. He pointed out that this window of time gave the attackers plenty of opportunity to exploit the data they had obtained without being detected or stopped in any way. This has been a major point of contention among both PBV’s employees and members of the public who are concerned about the safety of their personal information.
5. Conclusion
A. Summary of the Situation
Pepsi Bottling Ventures recently experienced a security breach in which private data from current and former employees was taken without authorization. This included details of financial accounts, documents with government-issued numbers, driver’s license numbers, social security numbers, and digital signatures as well as medical data for some employees. The attack occurred on December 23rd of 2020 and wasn’t discovered until January 10th of 2021, leaving a remarkably long window for the attackers to access and exploit this information before being detected or stopped in any way.
B. Final Thoughts
PBV has responded quickly by disabling all systems and resetting all passwords in order to protect their staff from further damage or unauthorized access to their data. They are also providing a year-long identity protection program at no cost to all affected individuals through Kroll in order to help protect them from potential identity theft or financial loss due to the stolen information. Despite these efforts, many are still concerned about how long it took for PBV to discover the breach and have criticized them for allowing such a long time frame between when it occurred and when it was discovered by them.