Accellion Data Breach Caused by Hackers Exploiting Old Software, Says Class Action Lawsuit

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A former Kroger cashier says that she and millions of others face the threat of identity theft and fraud after the Accellion data breach exposed highly sensitive information from clients, including law firms, government agencies, universities, and large corporations. 

Lead plaintiff Amiresse DeJardins wants to represent those whose personal information was compromised in the Accellion data breach, which consists of a pair of leaks that occurred in December and January. In her class action lawsuit filed Tuesday in California federal court, DesJardins says that Accellion, a company that offers a service designed “to transfer large and sensitive files,” failed to properly secure its systems, leading to the data breach.  

DesJardins says she worked for Kroger as an overnight cashier in 2017 and 2018 and her employer used Accellion to manage her personal information. The plaintiff says that she has taken care to protect herself from identity theft, fraud, and cybercrime; however, she was informed that her personal data was exposed in the Accellion breach in February. 

The plaintiff alleges that she has spent a significant amount of time researching the Accellion data breach and is anxious about her increased risk of identity theft.  

The class action lawsuit alleges that hackers first exploited old software in December. In response, Accellion issued a security patch to clients; however, hackers were again able to exploit outdated technology in January.  

“Accellion failed to safeguard sensitive PII of Plaintiff and Class Members, including, without limitation, names, email addresses and other contact information, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and/or driver’s license or state identification numbers, bank account numbers and bank routing numbers, medical records, academic records, places of employment and/or salary information,” says the class action lawsuit.  

DeJardins wants to represent a nationwide Class of consumers whose personal information was exposed in the Accellion data breach, along with a subclass of California residents. She wants the company to pay for Class Members’ expenses related to the data breach, as well as for identity theft protection.  

Several other consumers have taken legal action in the wake of the Accellion data breach. Another Kroger worker filed a class action lawsuit against the grocery chain accusing it of failing to properly protect employee data by continuing to use Accellion. Flagstar Bank customers filed a class action lawsuit claiming they had their sensitive personal information exposed to criminals in the Accellion data breach. 

Were you affected by the Accellion data breach? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below! 

The plaintiff is represented by Hassan A. Zavareei. Mark A. Clifford, and Sabita Soneji of Tycko & Zavareei LLP. 

The Accellion Data Breach Class Action Lawsuit is DesJardins v. Accellion Inc., Case No. 5:21-cv-04743 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California San Jose Division.  

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