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The company that provides vehicle inspections and emission testing for the Connecticut DMV didn’t protect drivers’ private information adequately, and was subject to a data breach, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiffs Amelia Yankovich and Joseph Allen filed the class action lawsuit against Applus Technologies, Inc. Wednesday in a Connecticut federal court, alleging Applus “betrayed” their trust by failing to properly safeguard and protect their personal identifiable information (PII).
“The Data Breach was a direct result of Applus’ failure to implement adequate and reasonable cyber-security procedures and protocols necessary to protect PII, and could have been avoided through basic security measures, authentications, and training,” the class action lawsuit states.
The group is looking to represent all Connecticut residents who registered their vehicles with the Connecticut DMV and who entrusted personally identifiable information — their names, addresses, dates of birth, Personal Identification Number, Social Security Number, driver’s license numbers, and license plate numbers — to Applus.
Around March 30 this year, according to the claim, Applus learned it had been the victim of a malware attack, which prompted it to shut down its vehicle emissions testing programs in eight states, including Connecticut.
At the time it told the public to “monitor your financial accounts for any unauthorized activity and alert authorities and your bank if you see anything unusual,” the class action states.
The confidential information that was likely stolen in the breach could be used to gain unlawful access to users’ online accounts, carry out identity theft or commit other fraud, the claim alleges. It could also be disseminated on the internet and made available to those who broker and traffic in stolen personal information.
“Because Applus failed to take reasonable steps to adequately protect the PII that Plaintiff and members of the Class entrusted with Applus, Plaintiffs’ and Class members’ PII is now readily available on the internet for anyone to acquire, access, and use for unauthorized purposes for the foreseeable future,” the class action states.
Applus’ failure to implement and follow “basic security procedures” has, according to the claim, resulted in ongoing harm for drivers who will “continue to experience a lack of data security for the indefinite future” and remain at serious risk of identity theft and fraud that could hit their pockets.
The drivers are suing for negligence and breach of implied contract. They are seeking certification of the class action, damages, disgorgement of profits, for Applus to provide appropriate credit monitoring services to the other class members, interest, fees and a jury trial.
The news comes after it was revealed an estimated 38 million records may have been compromised in a cyberattack affecting the California DMV in February.
Last year, the entire Texas Department of Motor Vehicles’ database was exposed in a 2020 Vertafore data breach compromising the sensitive information of 27.7 million Texans, including their names, addresses, birthdates, and social security numbers.
Were you affected by a data breach at your local DMV? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiff is represented by Sergei Lemberg of Lemberg Law.
The Applus Data Breach Connecticut Drivers Class Action Lawsuit is Yankovich et al., v. Applus Technologies, Inc, Case No. 3:21-cv-00720-KAD, in the U.S. District Court District of Connecticut
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One thought on Connecticut Drivers Sue DMV Vehicle Inspection Company Over Data Breach
I got a letter from DMV that my info was illegallyacessesd by DA several time San Jose Ca.