Security Breach at a Marketing and Communications Vendor Makes Major Clients Deliver Warning To Their Customers

Among others, Best Buy Co., TiVo Inc., and Walgreen Co. become the newest victims of apparently never-ending string of companies issuing warnings to their customers regarding the hacking over the weekend. Warnings claim that access was gained by the hackers to confidential customers' files mostly obtaining bulk of names and related email addresses.

The only thing these companies have in common is their marketing and communications vendor, Epsilon. It is undoubtedly one of the most reputable marketing services firms of the day, its functions by sending annual e-mails of almost more than 40 billion by the supreme command of its 2,500 elite clients. Epsilon, based in Dallas, passed a very short statement on Friday declaring that "a full investigation was under way" after the breach was found and they learned about the customer client data loss. Epsilon repeatedly assured that the only information obtained the list of names and email addresses and it quoted that "no other personal identifiable information associated with the names was at risk." Whereas, Epsilon spokeswoman Jessica Simon, refused to answer any further queries after that.

All these companies which were affected by this incident in one way or the other were duly notified by Epsilon. Epsilon said that the only thing that is on real potential is for these hackers to use these email addresses into cleverly asking the customers to provide them more personal detals such as Social Security numbers. Hence accordingly all the major companies has issued warnings to their customers. Best Buy tweeted a link to with a Sunday claiming that regardless of what has happened, the company will itself investigate the entire matter of the breach.

A Delaware-based Barclays Bank also sent emails to all its customers making them aware of the breach but together also assuring them that no other personal details like credit card numbers were at risk. TiVo and Walgreens were also among the companies who issued the warnings on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and grocery operator, has also addressed emails to its customers immediately on Friday, informing about the affect of the breach.