Largest Applebee’s franchisee says hackers stole sensitive data
Apple American Group LLC, the largest Applebee's franchisee in the United States, has disclosed a data breach that exposed sensitive personal information including Social Security numbers, financial records, health data, and biometric information. The full number of people affected has not been confirmed.
Why this matters: This is not a breach of email addresses and passwords. Hackers got Social Security numbers, health records, and biometric data — the kind of information that cannot be reset or changed. Biometric data is especially serious because it is permanent. Restaurant workers and customers who had no real choice but to hand over that information are now exposed. The company holding the data carries the responsibility for protecting it, and the bar for that protection should be proportional to the damage a breach can cause.
Who should care: Cybersecurity · Privacy officers · Administrators · Healthcare professionals · Compliance · General readers · Policy
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