Real estate services giant Fidelity National Financial recently confirmed that it fell victim to a cyberattack in November, resulting in the theft of data belonging to 1.3 million customers. The company disclosed in a filing with federal regulators that an unauthorized third party gained access to its systems, deployed a specific type of malware, and exfiltrated certain data.
Key Takeaway
Fidelity National Financial suffered a cyberattack resulting in the theft of data from 1.3 million customers, prompting the company to take swift containment measures and notify affected individuals. The incident sheds light on the escalating cybersecurity risks faced by companies in the real estate and financial services industry.
Containment Efforts and Customer Impact
The cyberattack led to a week-long outage, severely affecting the operations of Fidelity National Financial and its subsidiaries. This disruption left customers unable to make mortgage payments, causing significant inconvenience. The company stated that it has already notified the affected customers, as well as relevant state attorneys general and regulators. Additionally, Fidelity National Financial is offering credit monitoring and identity theft services to the impacted individuals.
Ransomware Gang Involvement
The cyberattack was attributed to the ransomware gang ALPHV (also known as BlackCat), which claimed responsibility for the incident on its dark web leak site. This group is notorious for extorting victims by demanding payment in exchange for removing and deleting stolen data. Following the cyberattack, Fidelity National Financial managed to contain the breach and restore its network, effectively thwarting the ongoing threat.
Industry-Wide Impact
Fidelity National Financial is not the only company in the mortgage and loan industry to have been targeted by cyberattacks in recent weeks. Other corporate victims include LoanDepot and Mr. Cooper, highlighting the growing threat of cybercrime in this sector.
