Add Bell Helicopter’s Training Academy to those reporting breaches this month.
The Forth Worth- based business learned in July that some former attendees had received spam e-mails that appeared to originate from them. On investigation, they discovered that someone had obtained information from an older database that contained email addresses and credit card numbers of former training program attendees. The firm did not indicate whether the database had been obtained by an insider who misused access or via a hack or some other method.
According to their August 9 report to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office by Jay Fellin, Deputy General Counsel, the credit card numbers of the 6 New Hampshire residents affected were expired numbers. The total number affected was not disclosed, nor whether others had non-expired credit card numbers compromised. The firm was offering all those affected a year of free credit monitoring in notification letters being sent out on or about August 13.
Update: On January 31, 2014, Bell notified the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office that they had identified additional affected individuals, for a total of 11. They have had no reports of misuse of credit card information, but are offering the newly identified individuals free credit monitoring services.