Popular auction retailer eBay is facing pressure from both state governments across the U.S. and from data protection authorities in Britain and the European Union following its data breach.
Earlier this week, eBay announced that it had discovered a data breach that occurred in late February or early March, compromising one of its corporate databases. The company urged users to change their passwords, but said that no financial data was compromised. Nevertheless, eBay now faces official probes following this hack.
Attorneys General in Connecticut, Florida, and Illinois have announced plans to launch a joint investigation to look into the security breach.
"The magnitude of the reported eBay data breach could be of historic proportions, and my office is part of a group of other attorneys general in the country investigating the matter. We must do everything in our power to protect consumers' personal information," said Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
"My office will be looking into the circumstances surrounding this breach as well as the steps eBay is taking to prevent any future incidents. However, the most important step for consumers to take right now is to change their password and choose a strong, unique password that is not easily guessed," added Attorney General George Jepsen from the office of Connecticut.
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, meanwhile, is not part of this joint investigation but has urged eBay to provide free credit monitoring to users affected by this cyber attack.
"The news that eBay has discovered a security breach involving customer data is deeply concerning. New Yorkers and eBay customers across the country trust that retailers will protect their personal information when they shop online. Our office has asked and fully expects eBay to provide free credit monitoring services to customers impacted by this breach," stated Schneiderman.
Furthermore, CNET reports that UK Information Commissioner Christopher Graham is also considering launching a formal investigation into the eBay security breach. Authorities in Luxembourg, where eBay's European headquarters are located, will investigate the matter as well. The country's regulator is responsible for all users who have signed a contract with eBay in Europe, therefore it will be in charge of the investigation.
