American Water Works Data Breach Exposes Millions of Customers to Identity Theft Featured
American Water Works exposed the sensitive personal information of millions of customers across the US when its systems were hacked.
A recently filed class action lawsuit alleges that American Water Works Company Inc. exposed the sensitive personal information of millions of customers across the US when its systems were hacked earlier this month.
According to the lawsuit, the water utility company failed to implement industry standards to protect its customers’ data, including encrypting or redacting sensitive information, leading to a breach of its systems discovered on Oct. 3rd.
About American Water Works
American Water Works is a New Jersey-based water and wastewater utility company serves more than 14 million people across 14 states, according to its website. It is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States.
What Happened?
American Water first identified an unauthorized cybercriminal gained access to its computer networks and systems on Oct. 3, according to an Oct. 7 report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The utility said it immediately activated its incident response protocols and notified law enforcement.
According to the lawsuit, American Water’s negligence to implement even the most basic industry standard security measures enabled the data breach.
What Information Was Stolen?
The scope of the cybersecurity attack, including whether customer data was put at risk, is still under investigation, with American Water stating that it will “provide more information when and as appropriate.”
As a condition of its services, however, customers are required to provide American Water Works with various types of highly sensitive Personal Identifiable Information (“PII”). This includes such information as
- Identifiers:
- contact and account information including name, email address, postal address, and phone number.
- Commercial Information:
- Customer service and feedback. We may collect
- Location Information:
- information about the location of your device based on your zip code or IP address
- Internet or other electronic network activity information:
- technical data about the device and network you use, such as your hardware model, operating system version, mobile network, IP address, unique device identifiers, browser type, and app version.
- Sensitive Information:
- race, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, gender, sex, age, marital status, and health and medical conditions.
What is American Water Works Doing To Protect My Identity?
To date, American Water Works has not indicated what measures, if any, it will take to protect the identities of individuals affected by the breach.
What Can Hackers Do With My Information?
Stolen PII and PHI can be used to commit identity theft, open new credit accounts, make unauthorized purchases or obtain loans. Cybercriminals have recently targeted America’s essential industries and in so doing have forced millions of Americans to face the fallout from these attacks.
Leaked or stolen data can be sold on the dark web forums and may be used for fraud and medical identity theft, a type of fraud, where threat actors use stolen information to submit forged claims to insurers.
Clients affected by the breach are exposed to a heightened and imminent risk of fraud and identity theft. They must now and in the future closely monitor their financial accounts to guard against identity theft and fraud.
If you receive a data breach notification from American Water Works it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options at no cost to you. For more information, please review these recommendations.
Protect Your Identity. Join the American Water Works Data Breach Class Action.
The lawsuit alleges that American Water Works breached its duties under common law and the Federal Trade Commission Act to implement reasonable security measures, comply with industry standards and federal data-security regulations, encrypt sensitive data, and provide adequate and timely notice of the breach.
If you receive a notification letter from American Water Works, you are at permanent risk of identity theft and the devastating financial and legal consequences that go along with it.
You may be eligible to participate in a class action lawsuit to recover compensation for loss of privacy, time spent dealing with the breach, out-of-pocket costs, and more.
The lawsuit looks to cover anyone in the USA whose private information was compromised by the breach announced by American Water Works on October 7, 2024.
Please complete the below form shown on this page and a data breach attorney will contact you. There is no cost to you.