Massive data leak in Tesla, exposing over 100GB of data, possibly including Elon Musk's SSN
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A reported data breach at Tesla may be exposing over 100GB of confidential information.
The breach is believed to have been perpetrated by a "disgruntled former employee" or a "whistleblower" - depending on the perspective. The identity of the employee is currently not known to the public.
Handelsblatt, a German newspaper, revealed that it has obtained a substantial amount of data, approximately 100GB, from informants associated with Tesla.
This data comprises a comprehensive record of thousands of complaints received by the car manufacturer over the years, specifically related to its Autopilot self-driving feature. Spanning from 2015 to 2022, the collection consists of 23,000 internal files. These files document numerous issues, including approximately 3,900 reports of self-acceleration and brake malfunctions, which encompass instances of involuntary emergency braking and false collision warnings leading to phantom stops. Furthermore, among the contents are over 1,000 crash reports, as well as a table encompassing 3,000 incidents wherein drivers expressed concerns regarding the safety of Tesla's driver assistance system.
The leaked files reportedly also contain over 100,000 names of current and former employees, private email addresses, phone numbers, employee salaries, SSNs, customer bank details, and confidential production details.
Multiple data protection agencies in EU are alerady starting investigations into this event. Since the leaked files reportedly contain personal they are in potential violation of European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) laws. If this is the case, Tesla may be fined up to 4% of Tesla's annual sales, which could amount to 3.26 billion euros in penalties.
Tesla has indicated its intention to pursue legal action against the individual responsible for the breach.
Update - An report by the Maine Attorney General's Office on 18th of August informs that Tesla data breach affecte 75,735 people. Two employees for electric car company Tesla are accused of mishandling employee data, accidentally leaking over 75,000 individuals' information to a foreign media outlet. "A foreign media outlet (named Handelsblatt) informed Tesla on May 10, 2023 that it had obtained Tesla confidential information. The investigation revealed that two former Tesla employees misappropriated the information in violation of Tesla’s IT security and data protection policies and shared it with the media outlet," Tesla wrote in its initial report of the incident.
It continued, "The outlet has stated that it does not intend to publish the personal information, and in any event, is legally prohibited from using it inappropriately."
