75,000 Tesla Accounts Compromised Due to Internal Misconduct
According to a notice released by the office of the Maine Attorney General on Friday, Tesla Inc.’s May data breach, which involved employee-related records, affected over 75,000 individuals and was caused by “insider misconduct.”
A total of 75,735 people were affected by the data breach, including nine Maine residents. The people appear to be current or former employees of the Austin, Texas-based automaker.
“On May 10, 2023, a foreign media outlet (named Handelsblatt) informed Tesla that it had obtained Tesla’s confidential information,” according to Tesla’s Aug. 18 letter accompanying the breach notification. “The investigation revealed that two former Tesla employees misappropriated the information in violation of Tesla’s IT security and privacy policies and shared the information with the media.”
The letter goes on to state that Tesla filed the lawsuits against the two former employees, without specifying in which jurisdiction. The lawsuits led to the seizure of electronic devices believed to contain company information, according to the letter.
“Tesla also obtained court orders prohibiting former employees from using, releasing or disseminating information under criminal penalties,” the letter stated. “Tesla cooperated with law enforcement and outside forensic experts and continues to take the necessary measures.”
Steven Elentukh, Tesla’s chief privacy officer, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Sunday.
