- Cybergenws researchers discover data leakage that belongs to Valley News Live
- An unprotected data set with 1.8 million records has been discovered
- The data primarily affects job applicants to the company
An unprotected data set has been discovered online containing 1.8 million files, including over a million CVS.
The data set was discovered by Cbergenws scientists who suspect the data is coming from Valley News Live’s Job Portal, which attracts up to 250,000 monthly visitors.
Researchers confirmed the personally identifiable information (PII) that was exposed, included full names, telephone numbers, e -mail addresses, home addresses, social media links and employment and educational backgrounds.
Applicants at risk
Valley News Live is a TV station based in Fargo, North Dakota, and is owned by Gray Media, a large conglomerate that owns or operates 180 stations across the United States in 113 markets -and is the third largest TV company in the United States.
Anyone who has recently affected their resume can probably understand how much danger may put a victim in, as the amount of PII required to build them could easily put someone at risk of social technical attacks or identity theft.
The researchers warned many of the discovered CVs spans several years and covered a period between 2017 and 2024, outlining how many are at risk.
The data set was discovered online on August 31, 2024, and the first announcement of publication was sent to the company on September 17, 2024.
“The exposed data includes very sensitive personal identifiers, creating several cyber criminals attacking vectors where personal information can be used to create synthetic identities or fraudulent stories,” the researchers said.
Anyone who has applied for a job at the company or who believes that they may be at risk for this or any leak must be vigilant in monitoring their cards and should be extra careful when receiving unexpected communication.
For companies, our full advice on what to do after a data violation can be done here.
