Mr. Cooper, the largest mortgage servicer in the United States, announced that it had discovered evidence of a breach of its customers' personal data during a cyberattack that was revealed a week ago, on October 31.
See also: Mr. Cooper: Cyberattack affected the operation of its systems
The loan company's statement says it is still investigating the nature of the leaked data and will provide more information to affected customers in the coming weeks.
Mr. Cooper said the attackers were unable to access customers' financial information because the affected systems do not store such data. The company has not disclosed whether the attackers issued a ransom demand following the recent security breach last month.
Mr. Cooper also urged her customers to monitor their credit reports and bank accounts, with any indication of suspicious or unauthorized activity reported immediately to their bank. Individuals who may have been affected by the incident are also advised to place a 'fraud alert' on their files as a precautionary measure and to be aware of any attempts to open new accountsusing their Social Security number.
The security breach that occurred on October 31 forced the company to disable its IT systems, including access to phone lines, support chatbot and online payment gateway.
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“We are experiencing a system outage/technical fault and hope to have it resolved soon,” says a notice on Mr. Cooper’s website.
“Customers attempting to make payments will not experience any fees or negative impacts as we work to resolve this issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and will continue to provide regular updates.“
The company also promised not to impose any fees, fines, or negative credit reports related to late payments until the restoration of the affected systems is complete.
Mr. Cooper, formerly Nationstar Mortgage LLC, is a Dallas, Texas-based mortgage lending company with about 9,000 employees. According to results reported in October, the mortgage servicer said it had a customer base of 4.1 million people and managed loans totaling $937 billion.
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Affected customers can start protecting their personal information by changing the passwords on all their accounts. It is important to use strong passwords that include a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters.
They should also regularly check their bank, credit card, and other financial accounts for unexplained or suspicious activity. If any abnormality is found, they should immediately contact the bank or loan company to report the incident.
Customers should also be cautious about the mail and communications they receive. Avoid opening emails from unknown senders and be wary of any requests for personal information or financial details.
Affected customers can also enable the identity monitoring service to be notified of any anomalies in how their identity is being used. This can help them detect potential fraud or malicious use of their personal information.
Source: bleepingcomputer
