{"id":90165,"date":"2018-06-28T10:12:33","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T17:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=90165"},"modified":"2025-08-13T01:20:20","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T08:20:20","slug":"exactis-data-breach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/exactis-data-breach\/","title":{"rendered":"The Exactis Data Breach: What Consumers Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are data breaches, and then there are data breaches<\/em>. For example, who could forget the Equifax data breach<\/a>, which compromised the personal information of over half of the citizens of the United States? And now, a breach of similar magnitude has emerged, as a security researcher has discovered<\/a> that marketing firm Exactis\u2019 database was sitting<\/a> on a publicly accessible server. Specifically, there were two versions of the database exposed online, each with around 340 million records\u2014roughly two-thirds on consumers and the rest on businesses.<\/p>\n

So how did Exactis have this much data in the first place? The Florida-based marketing firm collects and trades consumer data in order to refine the accuracy of targeted ads. Which is precisely what makes this breach so crucial, as the information exposed is highly personal. The leaked data includes people’s phone numbers, home and email addresses, interests, and the number, age, and gender of their children. As of now, credit card information and Social Security numbers don’t appear to have been leaked.<\/p>\n

The behavioral data involved in this leak, alongside the personal information, makes this breach particularly concerning because of how this information can be used by cybercriminals to improve the success of socially engineered attacks. For instance, crooks can use such personal information in phishing attacks over email or social media. Now, cybercriminals can enact highly personalized attacks against consumers, who will already be faced with potentially fraudulent activity against their names.<\/p>\n

Tips to Protect Your Personal Security and Identity<\/h2>\n

Therefore, it\u2019s important consumers immediately take action to protect their personal security and identity. To do just that, follow these tips:<\/p>\n