In response to a string of data breaches among such retailers as American Airlines, DoorDash, Uber and U-Haul over the last month, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, is calling on the federal government to crack down on cyber hackers.
Schumer is calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ensure companies are doing everything they can to protect consumer data. In addition, he wants the Department of Justice (DOJ) to fully investigate and go after hackers aiming to harm Americans and New Yorkers.
Schumer on Sunday cited a March 2022 law that gave the feds more oversight on hacks, and said more public information for impacted consumers should be made available. The new law, the Cyber Incident Reporting Act, according to Bloomberg, mandated that companies report hacks to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security within 72 hours of discovery of the incident, and 24 hours if they make a ransomware payment.
“In roughly the last 30 days, vital and personal information has been hacked at many major U.S. companies, compromising people’s privacy. Yet, if you ask most people about these hacks they don’t even know they occurred and the feds are saying very little,” said Schumer. “In fact, for a lot of consumers, unless you have a service—which often comes at a cost—you are not aware of these breaches and hacks. And in some cases, even if you do have a service that alerts you, information about where your personal information went, the origin of the hack and so much more is elusive.”
Schumer said many consumers are “clueless” about these recent hacks and others that have preceded them. He wants the feds to publicly disclose more details about recent breaches, and give impacted consumers more help and information.
“The feds have a law on the books to glean more information on major hacks, so the message today is: give consumers the details and investigate who is hacking,” said Schumer. “If a company is not doing right by their customers’ very personal information, then hold them to account as well. That is the two-pronged message today.”
RECENT DATA BREACHES
According to Schumer’s office, here are the most recent data breaches:
Sept. 20: American Airlines confirmed a data breach and said an “unauthorized actor” gained access to personal information of a small number of customers and employees through a phishing campaign.
August 28: DoorDash publicly revealed that a sophisticated phishing attack left customers’ personal information and partial payment information exposed to hackers.
Sept. 16: Uber revealed that their computer systems were breached and that they alerted authorities.
Sept: 21: U-Haul publicly revealed that a data breach of their system exposed sensitive consumer data of more than two million clients over five months.
Sept. 8: A cyberattack hit Suffolk County on Long Island and wreaked havoc on the entire system, including the 9-1-1 center.
“Bottom line, these are major firms in American industry, and even local governments, that are being hit, seemingly one after the other,” Schumer said. “From airlines, to ride share, to food delivery and moving companies—that is a big slice of the consumer pie, and that is a heck of a lot of personal info. We want to know who took it, what they have done with it, and what consumers need to do to get ahead of the problem for their own finances and well-being, and if a federal agency like the FTC can do more to help consumers, then do it and do it fast.”
Schumer secured $1 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill that would enable state government to build comprehensive cyber plans and to use federal grant dollars to support state and local public health, education, and other entities in New York.
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