JPMorgan Chase & Co. Reveals Data Breach Numbers

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has revealed the full extent of a cyberattack that occurred between as early as June until its eventual discovery in July.

A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing from the nation’s largest bank revealed 76 million households and 7 million small businesses have had their private information leaked.

The data includes names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and “internal JPMorgan Chase information.”

The affected customers include those who had used Chase.com, JPMorganOnline, Chase Mobile or JPMorgan Mobile.

According to Chase’s investigation, customers’ account numbers, passwords, user IDs, DOB, and Social Security numbers were not accessed.

While JPMorgan Chase claims there is no evidence of fraud or compromised accounts, The New York Times reports that the hackers gained top-level access to servers.

JPMorgan took action by closing affected accounts and resetting passwords on accounts of internal tech employees.

The hackers had the capability to potentially move money, modify or close accounts, and generally wreak havoc.

While retailers are certainly feeling the effects of data breaches, the fact that a leading financial institution would also become a victim, highlights the need for more stringent security at all points of the payments industry.

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, stated, “The data breach at JPMorgan Chase is yet another example of how Americans’ most sensitive personal information is in danger.”

He is the co-author of the Personal Data Protection and Breach Accountability Act, which if enacted, would set fines and potential prison sentences for failures in data security.