Patelco credit union reports cybersecurity incident causing system outage
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Patelco Credit Union, based in Dublin, California, announced a security incident, which has led to an extensive system outage.
Members of the credit union, which the company estimates at 500,000, were simultaneously locked out of their online accounts, barring them from checking their statement balances, sending or receiving money or changing passwords.
This breach has rendered their banking systems unavailable to customers, including:
- electronic transactions such as Zelle transfers,
- direct deposits,
- balance inquiries,
- online payment information,
Update - as of 14th of August 2024, Patelco reported it has confirmed that the ransomware attack accessed a database containing information like Social Security numbers. They state that they are not sure which specific data was accessed, but the databases contained members’:
- first and last names,
- Social Security numbers,
- driver’s license numbers,
- date of birth,
- email address.
As of 26th of August 2024, Patelco told regulators that the data of 726,000 people were exposed during the incident.
As of 23rd of September 2024, the financial institution updated its filing to report that 1,009,472 people were affected.
No details are disclosed about the nature of the attack, whether any data was stolen or affected individuals.
In an announcement on Twitter, Patelco Credit Union stated, “Our systems are currently unavailable. We are working to resolve the outage as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience. We apologize for the inconvenience.” The disruption has affected customers' ability to access and manage their accounts online.
Starting Monday 1st of July 2024, Patelco employees areavailable to assist customers in person at branches, through live chat, and via call centers. Due to the high volume of anticipated inquiries, customers are advised to expect longer wait times.
The credit union’s website has issued a disclaimer, expressing regret for the inconvenience and frustration caused by the incident.
