San Francisco 49ers data breach affects 20K fans

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San Francisco 49ers data breach overview: 

• Who: The NFL’s San Francisco 49ers confirmed in a letter last week that the team was the victim of a February data breach conducted by the hacking group BlackByte.  
• Why: The 49ers revealed that the data breach exposed the personal information, including names and Social Security numbers, of more than 20,000 individuals.
• Where: The 49ers are an NFL franchise based in California.

The San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League confirmed it was the victim of a data breach earlier this year that the team says exposed the personal information of more than 20,000 individuals. 

The 49ers began mailing notification letters to individuals affected by the data breach it says occurred between Feb. 6 and Feb. 11, BleepingComputer reports. 

Hackers who gained unauthorized access to the 49ers network were able to access and/or acquire personal information, including names and Social Security numbers, during the data breach, the NFL franchise confirms. 

“The 49ers conducted a thorough review of these files to identify the individuals whose information was contained in the files, and additional research to locate and verify the addresses for these individuals,” the team says in a notification letter sent to affected individuals last week. 

The 49ers say they will offer individuals affected by the data breach a “complimentary one-year membership in credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Experian.” 

Team set up a call center to help answer questions about San Francisco 49ers data breach

Individuals affected by the San Francisco 49ers data breach will also be able to contact the team directly through a call center it set up dedicated to the data breach, according to the notification letter.

Hacking group BlackByte gang reportedly claimed responsibility for the San Francisco 49ers data breach in February, at which time it began leaking files it allegedly stole from the team’s network, BleepingComputer reports. 

BlackByte, at that time, reportedly published an archive of 292 mb worth of files that the ransomware group claimed were invoices taken from the 49ers’ servers. 

The 49ers say the team has “implemented additional measures to further enhance its security protocols and continued education and training of its employees,” to “reduce the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future.”

In related news, in 2020, the 49ers agreed to pay $24 million to resolve claims the team’s football stadium failed to meet accessibility requirements for individuals with disabilities. 

Was your personal information exposed in the San Francisco 49ers data breach? Let us know in the comments!

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