Sony has officially verified a data breach resulting from a vulnerability in MOVEit, affecting a total of 6,791 individuals, including both current and former employees as well as their family members.
"We want to provide you with the information about a cybersecurity event related to one of our IT Vendors, Progress Software’s, that involved some of your personal information," the company said in the notice.
This event was limited to Progress Software's MOVEit Transfer platform did not impact any of our other systems, Sony clarified.
The breach took place between May 28th and May 30th, 2023, and the stolen data encompassed names and various personal identifiers, along with Social Security Numbers (SSNs).
Sony has announced its proactive measures to minimize the consequences of the breach. Additionally, the company is extending assistance to affected customers by providing credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.
MOVEit Vulnerability – A Significant Cybersecurity Threat
The vulnerability in MOVEit poses a significant risk to businesses relying on the tool for file transfers. Its consequences are noteworthy. As per a September report, this vulnerability has had a substantial impact, with over 900 schools in the United States experiencing data breaches, which compromised sensitive student information.
It's crucial to emphasize that the MOVEit vulnerability was heavily exploited by the well-known Clop ransomware gang. One of the groups, RansomedVC, claimed to have stolen 260GB during a cyber-attack against Sony. The group made attempts to sell the data for $2.5 million. The other group, MajorNelson, refuted RansomedVC’s claims and leaked a sample of the data for free.
Researchers advised organizations to use this moment as a chance to reassess their security strategies. They emphasized the importance of adopting data-centric approaches such as tokenization to strengthen their defenses and safeguard sensitive information from potential breaches and their resulting consequences. Researchers underlined that protecting data is not solely an IT issue but a crucial business necessity in the contemporary digital environment.
Darren Guccione, CEO and Co-Founder of Keeper Security (keepersecurity.com), issued a caution regarding the MOVEit vulnerability, stating, "While cybersecurity teams grapple with the aftermath of MOVEit, the revelation of yet another breach should be a wakeup call for all organizations. It underscores the urgency of promptly addressing this critical zero-day vulnerability.
However, for enterprises utilizing MOVEit, it is imperative to promptly apply server patches to address the vulnerability. Furthermore, businesses should conduct a comprehensive review of their file transfer security protocols to ensure the safeguarding of their data against unauthorized access.