Comcast Cable Communications and Truist Bank have confirmed that the personal data of their customers was compromised due to a cyberattack targeting Financial Business and Consumer Solutions (FBCS), a debt collection agency that works with numerous companies to manage unpaid debts.

FBCS disclosed that its systems were breached between February 14 and 26, 2024, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive customer data, including Social Security numbers, account details, and personal identification information.

Initially, the breach was believed to affect 1.9 million individuals, but further investigation revealed that over 4.2 million people across FBCS’s client base were impacted, including customers of both Comcast and Truist Bank.

Due to FBCS’s financial instability following the breach, the burden of notifying affected customers and managing remediation efforts has shifted to Comcast and Truist, adding further strain to these companies as they navigate the fallout. Both organizations were assured early on that their customer data remained secure, only to later discover that they too had been impacted.

Comcast has reported that over 273,000 of its customers were affected, while Truist Bank has also started notifying its clients, though the number of impacted individuals remains unclear.

Why It Matters: The FBCS data breach is a powerful reminder of the vulnerabilities in third-party partnerships, especially those handling sensitive customer and financial information. Companies like Comcast and Truist, while not directly responsible for the breach, are now facing the consequences of compromised customer trust, underscoring the far-reaching impacts of cyberattacks across interconnected industries. As these companies work to address the fallout, it stands as an unfortunate example of what can happen when a third-party partner is compromised, amplifying the risks for all involved.

• Initial Breach and Expansion: FBCS first disclosed the data breach in April 2024, with early estimates suggesting 1.9 million affected individuals. By June, the number had surged to 3.2 million, and by July, the figure stood at 4.2 million as more companies like Comcast and Truist Bank were found to be impacted.

• Comcast’s Involvement: Although initially informed by FBCS in March that no customer data had been compromised, Comcast learned in July that 273,703 of its customers’ data, including Social Security numbers, addresses, and internal account information, had indeed been exposed. The company has since offered affected individuals identity theft protection services.

• Truist Bank’s Notification: Truist Bank began notifying its customers in mid-September, outlining that a variety of personal information, including names, account numbers, and Social Security details, may have been compromised. The exact number of impacted customers remains undisclosed, but given the bank’s size, it is likely substantial.

• FBCS Financial Struggles: Following the breach, FBCS’s worsening financial situation has led affected companies like Comcast and Truist Bank to take over the responsibility of notifying their customers and offering remediation, adding another layer of complexity to the fallout.

Go Deeper -> Comcast and Truist Bank Customers Caught Up in FBCS Data Breach – Bleeping Computer

Comcast and Truist Bank Customers Exposed in FBCS Data Breach – Tech Monitor