Capital One is a renowned bank holding company that specializes in credit cards, auto loans, banking and savings accounts, in fact, the company not long ago made the top-10 list for largest banks in the US based on deposits.
For these reasons, it’s particularly worrying that the financial conglomerate was recently hacked, with over 100 million people’s personal data being exposed as a consequence. Specifically, two hacks, which took place on the 22nd and 23rd of March, was found to have affected around 100 million Americans and six million Canadians. Terrifyingly, the hacker was able to decrypt all of the leaked customer data, meaning that names, addresses, zip codes, postal codes, date of births, phone numbers, credit scores, credit limits, payment history and even bank balances.
Although this is clearly bad news, the silver lining is that the hacker has been caught, something which took place after the FBI apprehended the woman from Seattle who is thought to be responsible for getting into the database.
While talking on the topic, Capital One’s Chairman and CEO, Richard D. Fairbank, stated that: “While I am grateful that the perpetrator has been caught, I am deeply sorry for what has happened. I sincerely apologize for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right.”