You can add another firm to the list of companies that have been impacted by the recent data break-in at cloud storage company Snowflake. And that “another” is sizable, too – some 380 million consumers.
According to a report from BleepingComputer, data hackers were able to make off with 3 terabytes of Advance Auto Parts-related (AAP) data being housed at Snowflake. That heist includes:
- 380 million customer profiles
- 140 million customer orders
- 44 million loyalty and gas card numbers
- Sales history, and employment candidate information.
- The data also includes details of 358,000 AAP employees.
And, just like the Ticketmaster hack, the AAP customers who got dinged in this theft failed to use two-factor authentication (2FA).
If you’re an Advance Auto Parts customer and want your data back, it’ll cost you. The stolen data is being offered for sale online for $1.5 million.
Snowflake denied any direct involvement in the breach, but acknowledged that a small number of customers were affected. To prevent further intrusions, Snowflake is urging all customers to use multi-factor authentication (MFA).
ConsumerAffairs reached out to Advance Auto for tips on what their customers should do to prevent any further misuse of their personal data, but did not hear back.
Can this spin out of control?
Because Snowflake is so large and has the keys to so many companies’ customer data, all bets are off on just how safe any of us are.
Snowflake's cloud service is used by more than 9,000 companies, including global brands such as PepsiCo, Adobe, AT&T, delivery services Doordash and Instacart, plus financial services companies LendingTree, Capital One, and Mastercard.
How can you set up 2FA?,
If you’re not one of the nearly-billion consumers who has been impacted by the Snowflake-related hacks, either you’re lucky or you have two-factor authentication in place. If you’re one of the lucky ones, you might want to join the 2FA crowd. While it may sound too tech’y for your skill level, the good news is that it’s not.
Steve Dotto, a known 2FA crusader, explains how he got hit by not using 2FA and how easy it is for any of us to start using.