A few days back, I wrote about how fraud may be on the rise even though travel is stagnant. Back in April, reports hinted at a cyber attack that affected Cognizant’s employees. Initially, reports indicated that Maze Ransomware conducted the cyber attack on Cognizant back in April. However, we’re now getting more details about the type of data and the volume that was compromised.
Cognizant Cyber Attack
The Tech Outlook Magazine published this report which outlines some of the details of the attack. Expectedly, the official word looks to play down the level of damage that the cyber attack caused.
“A limited amount of personal data (of associates) was compromised before the attack was contained on May 1. The vast majority of the information consisted of names and account numbers (and no other personal information) from some American Express cards,” Content of the email that was sent to Cognizant employees
Cognizant has additionally told its workers that the individuals who held the corporate Credit Card will be offered access to charge card checking, Deep web observing, and restoration services for free, even to those whose information was not traded off in the assault.
Cognizant has responded on expected lines. While these tools could be great to prevent future attacks, the damage has already been done. Investigators worry that the hackers could already have gained access to vital employee information like Tax IDs, Social Security Numbers, Passport Data and Driver’s License Information.
The Pundit’s Mantra
We’re living in an age where we constantly interact with tech throughout the day. We’ve seen ample instances of cyber attacks and breaches recently, which only demonstrate how even the most robust systems could be vulnerable. Similarly, we also need to be vigilant with our own credit card accounts on a personal front.
Many people in the miles and points game carry more than one credit card. In such a case, it’s prudent to closely monitor your credit card statements regularly. Also, I use a service like AwardWallet in order to keep track of my loyalty program accounts. As it transpired in my case, simply setting up the right notifications can go a long way in alerting you about possible fraudulent activity.
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