Picture this: You work at a leading U.S. satellite maker, Maxar Space Systems, and one day, out of the blue, you receive a notification that hackers have accessed your personal data. It’s a nightmare scenario, right? Well, that’s exactly what happened to some employees at Maxar.

Breaking into Maxar’s Network

Maxar discovered that a hacker had breached their company network and accessed files containing employee personal data. The intruder used a Hong Kong-based IP address and had access to the system for about a week before the company discovered the breach.

As soon as Maxar’s information security team detected the unauthorized access, they took action to prevent the hackers from going deeper into the system. But the damage was already done.

Why You Should Care About Maxar

Maxar Space Systems is a big deal in the American aerospace industry. They’re known for building communication and Earth observation satellites. Based in Colorado, they have built more than 80 satellites currently in orbit. Their technology plays a significant role in space exploration, like the Maxar 1300 platform’s essential role in NASA’s Psyche mission and the power and propulsion elements used for the Artemis Moon exploration program.

What Personal Data Was Exposed?

The hacker likely accessed the following employee information:

• Name
• Home address
• Social security number
• Business contact information
• Gender
• Employment status
• Employee number
• Job title
• Hire/termination and role start dates
• Supervisor
• Department

Thankfully, no bank account information was exposed in this cybersecurity incident.

What’s Next for Maxar Employees?

Maxar is offering affected current employees IDShield identity protection and credit monitoring services. Former employees have until mid-February 2025 to enroll in identity theft protection services from IDX.

While the data breach exposed personal information, it’s also important to consider the potential impact on proprietary technical data. In a somewhat related incident, a threat actor claimed in July to have scraped the user base of GeoHIVE, a geospatial intelligence platform by Maxar Technologies, the parent company of Maxar Space Systems.

We reached out to Maxar Technologies to ask about the possibility of confidential technology data exposure and a possible link to the scraping incident, but a comment wasn’t immediately available.

Take Action to Protect Yourself

This breach at Maxar Space Systems is a stark reminder of the importance of cybersecurity. Don’t wait until it’s too late to protect your personal and business data. If you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help. Our IT Services will guide you through the process of securing your data and keeping it safe from hackers.

Contact us today and stay ahead of the game. And don’t forget to keep coming back to learn more about cybersecurity and how you can protect yourself and your business.

Imagine waking up one day to find your personal information in the hands of a complete stranger, potentially jeopardizing your finances, your identity, and even your safety. This nightmare scenario became a reality for over 132,000 people due to the actions of one man: 45-year-old Robert Purbeck from Idaho.

Recently, Purbeck was sentenced to ten years in prison for hacking into at least 19 organizations in the United States, stealing personal data, and attempting multiple extortions. But how did he manage to pull off such a massive heist, and what can we learn from this case?

A Dark and Twisted Tale of Hacking and Extortion

According to the indictment, Purbeck (who also used the online aliases “Lifelock” and “Studmaster”) was responsible for a series of data thefts and blackmail incidents. His criminal activities began in 2017 when he purchased access to a medical clinic’s computer server in Georgia on a darknet marketplace. Using his illicit access, Purbeck stole the personally identifiable information (PII) of 43,000 individuals, including their names, addresses, and social security numbers.

But he didn’t stop there. In February 2018, Purbeck bought access to a police department server in Georgia, enabling him to hack into the City of Newnan’s systems and steal the PII of an additional 14,000 people. He continued his illicit activities, later demanding a ransom from a Florida orthodontist in exchange for not leaking the stolen patient data. Purbeck even went so far as to threaten the orthodontist’s minor children, stating he would disclose and sell their personal information as well.

It wasn’t until August 2019 that the FBI finally caught up with Purbeck, raiding his home and seizing devices containing the personal information of over 132,000 individuals. In March 2022, Purbeck pleaded guilty to his crimes and was sentenced to ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay over $1,048,700 in restitution to his victims.

What We Can Learn from This Case

Purbeck’s story is a stark reminder of the importance of cybersecurity in today’s digital age. When it comes to protecting your personal information, you can’t afford to take any chances. Here are a few key lessons we can take away from this case:

• Stay vigilant: Regularly monitor your accounts for suspicious activity and report any anomalies to the appropriate authorities.
• Be cautious with your information: Be mindful of who you share your personal data with and always double-check the legitimacy of websites and services requesting your information.
• Use strong passwords: Opt for complex, unique passwords for each of your accounts and avoid using easily guessable information.
• Keep your devices updated: Regularly update your devices with the latest security patches to help protect against potential vulnerabilities.

A Call to Action: Stay Informed and Stay Protected

As your trusted IT services provider, we’re committed to helping you stay informed and protected against the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats. Whether it’s through educational resources or expert advice, our goal is to empower you to safeguard your privacy and protect your personal information.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to take action; contact us today to learn more about how you can enhance your cybersecurity, and keep coming back to stay up-to-date on the latest threats and best practices in the world of cybersecurity.

Imagine your business contact information—your name, phone number, email, even your job title—floating around the internet. Now, imagine that information belonging to 122 million people being available since February 2024. That’s exactly what happened, and we’ve now confirmed it was stolen from a B2B demand generation platform.

This massive data breach occurred at DemandScience (formerly Pure Incubation), a company that aggregates data for digital marketers and advertisers. Their job is to collect, compile, and organize data from public sources and third parties, creating valuable “profiles” to generate leads and marketing information.

How the Breach Happened

In February 2024, a threat actor named ‘KryptonZambie’ began selling 132.8 million records on BreachForums, claiming the data was stolen from an exposed system belonging to Pure Incubation. When we contacted DemandScience about the alleged data theft, they denied any breach had occurred, stating that their systems were secure behind firewalls, VPN access, and intrusion detection systems.

Fast forward to August 15, 2024, and KryptonZambie made the dataset available for a mere 8 credits (a few dollars), essentially leaking the data for free.

Confirmation of the Data Breach

Today, cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt published a blog post confirming that the data is authentic. According to Hunt, someone exposed in the leak contacted DemandScience and was told that the leaked data originated from a system that had been decommissioned two years ago.

The email from DemandScience read, “We have conducted a thorough internal investigation and conclude that none of our current operational systems were exploited. We also conclude that the leaked data originated from a system that has been decommissioned for approximately two years.”

Hunt verified the authenticity of the data, even finding his own record from when he worked at Pfizer. All 122 million unique email addresses from the stolen dataset have now been added to Have I Been Pwned, and exposed subscribers will receive notifications about the breach.

Don’t Be a Victim: Stay Informed and Protected

This massive data breach serves as a stark reminder of the importance of cybersecurity. As a U.S. reader, you may not be familiar with all the ins and outs of cybersecurity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay informed and protected.

Keep coming back to learn more about the latest developments in cybersecurity, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Together, we can make the digital world a safer place.