Capital One said a hacker got access to the personal information of over 100 million individuals applying for credit. The McLean, Virginia-based bank said Monday it found out about the vulnerability in its system July 19 and immediately sought help from law enforcement to catch the perpetrator.
The FBI has arrested the person, reportedly in Seattle, according to a report in The Washington Post. Court records state a woman, identified as Paige A. Thompson, was arrested on charges of computer fraud and abuse Monday, according to CNET. Prosecutors say the hack took place between March 12 and July 17.
Capital One said it believes that it is unlikely that the information was used for fraud, but it will continue to investigate.
“While I am grateful that the perpetrator has been caught, I am deeply sorry for what has happened,” Capital One chairman and CEO Richard D. Fairbank said in a press release. “I sincerely apologize for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right.”
The hacker got information including credit scores and balances plus the Social Security numbers of about 140,000 customers. It will offer free credit monitoring services to those affected.
The data breach affected about 100 million people in the U.S. and 6 million in Canada.
Computer fraud and abuse is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the Department of Justice.
This report comes in the wake of news that Equifax may have to pay up to $700 million over a 2017 data breach, according to CNET. That breach involved the Social Security numbers and home addresses of nearly 148 million Americans from Equifax’s servers in a hack that ran from May to July in 2017.
