Tesla, the electric car maker led by Elon Musk, has revealed that a data breach in May affected more than 75,000 people, including customers, employees and business partners. The company blamed the leak on “insider wrongdoing” and said it was taking legal action against the former employees responsible.
What happened in the data breach?
According to a notice posted by the office of the Maine Attorney General on Friday, two former Tesla employees misappropriated confidential information in violation of Tesla’s IT security and data protection policies and shared it with a German media outlet, Handelsblatt. The outlet said it had obtained 100 gigabytes of data, which included over 23,000 files from 2015 to 2022.
The leaked data contained personal information of 75,735 people, including nine residents of Maine. The information included names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, salaries, bank details and social security numbers. The notice said that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s social security number was also part of the leak.
The data also revealed thousands of customer complaints about Tesla’s driver assistance system, Autopilot. The complaints included cases of sudden acceleration, phantom braking and steering issues. Some of the complaints were related to accidents or injuries caused by the system.
How did Tesla respond to the data breach?
Tesla said that it had launched an investigation as soon as it became aware of the breach and notified the affected individuals. The company also said that it had obtained court orders to seize the devices that contained the data and to prohibit the former employees from further use, access or dissemination of the data.
The company said that it was cooperating with the relevant authorities and regulators to address the breach. The notice said that Tesla had taken steps to enhance its security measures and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Tesla also said that the media outlet that received the data had stated that it did not intend to publish the personal information and that it was legally prohibited from using it inappropriately. However, the outlet had published some details about the data in May, sparking concerns about Tesla’s data protection practices.
What are the implications of the data breach?
The data breach could have serious consequences for Tesla and its stakeholders. The breach could expose them to identity theft, fraud, phishing and other cyberattacks. The breach could also damage their reputation, trust and loyalty.
The breach could also result in legal actions and regulatory fines for Tesla. The company could face lawsuits from the affected individuals or groups for violating their privacy rights. The company could also face penalties from data protection authorities for failing to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe or other relevant laws in different jurisdictions.
The breach could also affect Tesla’s competitive advantage and market position. The breach could reveal sensitive information about Tesla’s production, innovation and strategy to its rivals or adversaries. The breach could also undermine Tesla’s claim to be a leader in safety and technology in the electric vehicle industry.