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Computer Support For Individuals And Small Business |
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4/4/11 |
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Epsilon?? Who Is That, And Why Do They Have My Email?? |
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It’s been all over the news lately that the database of a little-known, but major, email marketing firm named Epsilon Data Management was compromised. Their clientele include many very large companies, and they send out tens of billions (yes, billions with a “b”) of emails a year.
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On 4/1/11 Epsilon put out a press release from their headquarters in Irvin, Texas. The most pertinent part of it reads as follows:
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"On March 30th, an incident was detected where a subset of Epsilon clients' customer data were exposed by an unauthorized entry into Epsilon's email system. The information that was obtained was limited to email addresses and/or customer names only. A rigorous assessment determined that no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk. A full investigation is currently underway."
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It is not unusual for companies to outsource email marketing to companies similar to Epsilon. Though it can be done in-house, it often makes more sense from a business perspective to outsource this service to someone who has the infrastructure in place to perform the service efficiently. Privacy policies will typically mention your information may be shared with third parties such as agents or service providers for such things as sending marketing communications.
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Unfortunately, from a user standpoint, there is not much that can be done short of changing your email address (which can be a significant hassle), except being vigilant when reviewing emails. With the information acquired the hackers could use the data to craft various types of attacks to defraud the users whose data was stolen. Because they have names as well as email addresses, and perhaps other information, emails can be personalized to appear authentic.
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Here is a list of the companies reported to be affected (this list may not be complete): 1-800-Flowers, AbeBooks, Air Miles, Ameriprise Financial, Barclays Bank of Delaware, bebe Stores Inc., Benefit Cosmetics, Best Buy, Brookstone, Capital One, Charter Communications (Charter.com), Citibank, City Market, The College Board, Dillons, Disney Destinations, Eddie Bauer, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Hilton Honors, The Home Shopping Network, Jay C Stores, JP Morgan Chase, King Soopers, Kroger, LL Bean, Marriott Rewards, McKinsey & Company, Moneygram, New York & Co., QFC, Ralphs, Red Roof Inns, Ritz Carlton, Robert Half, Smith Brands, Target, TD Ameritrade, TIAA-CREF, TiVo, US Bank, Verizon, and Walgreens. You may receive a communication from any of these that you have done business with about this situation.
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You may think if you opted out of an email list you are safe. However, your information is probably marked as “opted out” but is still in the database.
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Any suspicious emails, though they may appear to come from a particular company, should be reviewed carefully. Contact with the company should be made only with information known to be authentic, and not through links or phone numbers included in the email, or responding to the email.
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This situation underscores the importance of general email security.
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