Exploit: Unsecured Database
Telmate: Correctional Facility Communications
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Risk to Small Business: 2.014 = Severe An a misconfigured Amazon S3 Bucket is to blame for a nasty data breach involving Telnet, makers of the Getting Out app used for inmate communications. The app, (which charges an exorbitant fee of up to $0.50 per minute for families to communicate with their incarcerated loved ones), is commonly monitored by prison officials, but the data that has been leaked is the kind of highly sensitive personal information like whether an inmate identifies as transgender, their relationship status, prescription medication they take, and their religion. The company, part of the Global Tel Link family, blames a third party vendor for the incident. Experts say that 11,210,948 inmate records and 227,770,157 messages were exposed.
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Individual Risk: 2.314 = Severe While Telnet maintains that no medical data, passwords, or consumer payment information were affected, the information that has been widely available through this unsecured bucket is potentially personally damaging and opens prisoners and their families up to identity theft and blackmail risks, as well as targeting for hate crime.
Customers Impacted: 2.3 million inmates and their families
How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Failing to secure simple data storage tools like this is indicative of a lax attitude toward security throughout a company, and can turn off customers and potential partners. This is Telnet’s second security incident this year.
Risk Levels:
1 - 1.5 = Extreme Risk
1.51 - 2.49 = Severe Risk
2.5 - 3 = Moderate Risk
*The risk score is calculated using a formula that considers a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.