Car Buyers Beware: Hackers Stole Millions of Personal Details

In a recent cyberattack, hackers managed to steal sensitive personal information from over 5. 6 million Americans. The data, which included Social Security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth, was taken from a company called 700Credit. This company helps car dealerships check credit scores. The breach happened because one of 700Credit's partners was hacked in July but didn't tell the company right away. Hackers used this weakness to get into 700Credit's system. They found a flaw in the system that let them pull out consumer data without proper checks. For more than two weeks, the hackers sent millions of requests to the system. Even though 700Credit shut down the vulnerable part of their system, the hackers had already stolen about 20% of the data from May to October 2025. The stolen information included full names, home addresses, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth. The breach did not affect 700Credit's internal network or the dealerships' systems. 700Credit works with over 21, 000 dealerships in different sectors. The breach affected about 18, 000 of these dealerships. The company is sending letters to affected consumers and offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for 12 to 24 months. Michigan's Attorney General, Dana Nessel, advised people to take steps to protect their information. This includes placing a credit freeze or using monitoring services to prevent fraud. 700Credit says they have not found any signs of identity theft or fraud related to the breach. They have notified the FBI and filed a report with the Federal Trade Commission. The company has also improved their security and set up a helpline for questions. People who are worried about their data being exposed should check their credit reports regularly. Free weekly credit reports are available from the three major credit bureaus through AnnualCreditReport. com. This incident shows how important it is for companies to have strong security measures and to communicate openly with their partners. Even companies with good security can be at risk if their partners don't disclose breaches quickly.