Hyundai AutoEver America (HAEA), the IT division of Hyundai Motor Group, suffered a **massive data breach** between **February 22 and March 2, 2025**, compromising the personal data of **up to 2.7 million customers**, including those of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. The stolen information includes **names, Social Security Numbers (SSNs), driver’s license numbers, addresses, and phone numbers**—highly sensitive data that can be exploited for identity theft, phishing, and financial fraud. While HAEA claims to have blocked network access during the attack, the delay in notifying affected customers (letters sent in **October 2025**, seven months later) raises concerns about transparency and incident response. The breach also risks **cross-referencing stolen data with other leaked databases**, enabling cybercriminals to craft **targeted phishing attacks** to extract further credentials or funds. HAEA has offered **two years of free credit monitoring via Epiq** (a firm that itself suffered a ransomware attack in 2020), but the recurring nature of such incidents—including prior Hyundai breaches in **2023 and 2024**—highlights systemic vulnerabilities in the automaker’s cybersecurity posture. The breach’s scale and the sensitivity of the exposed data pose **long-term reputational and financial risks** for customers and the company.
Hyundai AutoEver America cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/hyundai-autoever-america
"id": "hyu1002210111125",
"linkid": "hyundai-autoever-america",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2020",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '2,700,000',
'industry': 'Automotive',
'location': 'Global (primarily U.S. customers affected '
'in this incident)',
'name': 'Hyundai Motor Group',
'size': 'Large (2.7 million customers impacted)',
'type': 'Automotive Manufacturer'},
{'customers_affected': 'Included in the 2.7 million',
'industry': 'Automotive',
'location': 'Global',
'name': 'Kia Motors',
'type': 'Automotive Manufacturer (subsidiary of '
'Hyundai Motor Group)'},
{'customers_affected': 'Included in the 2.7 million',
'industry': 'Automotive',
'location': 'Global',
'name': 'Genesis Motors',
'type': 'Automotive Manufacturer (subsidiary of '
'Hyundai Motor Group)'},
{'industry': 'Information Technology',
'location': 'United States',
'name': 'Hyundai AutoEver America (HAEA)',
'size': '~5,000 employees (unclear if affected)',
'type': 'IT Services Provider (subsidiary of Hyundai '
'Motor Group)'}],
'customer_advisories': ['Notification letters sent in late October 2025',
'Offer of 2 years of free identity theft and credit '
'monitoring via Epiq'],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
'number_of_records_exposed': '2,700,000',
'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
'Addresses',
'Phone Numbers',
'Driver’s Licenses',
'Social Security '
'Numbers (SSNs)'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (includes SSNs and driver’s '
'licenses)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
'Information (PII)',
'Sensitive Personal Data']},
'date_detected': '2025-03-02',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-10-31',
'description': 'A massive data breach at Hyundai AutoEver America (HAEA), the '
'IT division of Hyundai Motor Group, compromised the personal '
'data of up to 2.7 million customers, including those of Kia '
'and Genesis. The breach exposed sensitive information such as '
'names, addresses, phone numbers, driver’s licenses, and '
'Social Security numbers (SSNs). The attack occurred between '
'February 22nd and March 2nd, 2025, but customer notifications '
'were only sent out in late October 2025. Hyundai has engaged '
'forensic experts and law enforcement to address the incident '
'and is offering two years of free identity theft and credit '
'monitoring via Epiq.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'High (due to delayed disclosure and '
'repeated breaches)',
'data_compromised': ['Names',
'Addresses',
'Phone Numbers',
'Driver’s Licenses',
'Social Security Numbers (SSNs)'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (due to exposure of SSNs and driver’s '
'licenses)',
'systems_affected': ['Hyundai AutoEver America (HAEA) network']},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': 'Likely (mentioned as risk '
'for cross-referencing '
'with other stolen '
'databases)',
'high_value_targets': ['Customer PII databases']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (forensic experts and law enforcement '
'involved)',
'lessons_learned': 'Previous breaches in Europe (2023, 2024) failed to '
'prevent this incident, indicating inadequate '
'implementation of corrective measures. Delayed disclosure '
'raises questions about transparency and incident response '
'effectiveness.',
'motivation': ['Data Theft',
'Potential Financial Gain (via phishing or identity theft)'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Added extra security to '
'the network (details '
'unspecified)',
'Engaged third-party '
'forensic experts and law '
'enforcement',
'Offered identity theft '
'monitoring to affected '
'customers'],
'root_causes': ['Inadequate network security '
'measures (allowed unauthorized '
'access between February 22 and '
'March 2, 2025)',
'Failure to learn from prior '
'breaches (Europe 2023, 2024)',
'Delayed incident response and '
'customer notification']},
'ransomware': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes (but not confirmed as '
'ransomware-related)'},
'recommendations': ['Improve incident detection and response times to '
'minimize delay in customer notifications.',
'Enhance data protection measures, particularly for '
'sensitive PII like SSNs and driver’s licenses.',
'Conduct regular third-party audits to identify and '
'mitigate vulnerabilities proactively.',
'Implement stricter access controls and network '
'segmentation to limit the impact of breaches.',
'Review and update incident response plans based on '
'lessons from prior breaches.'],
'references': [{'source': 'TechRadar'},
{'source': 'BleepingComputer'},
{'source': 'Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and '
'Business Regulation (filing)'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Massachusetts Office '
'of Consumer Affairs '
'and Business '
'Regulation (filing '
'submitted)']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Delayed customer notifications (sent '
'in late October 2025)',
'Offered 2 years of free identity '
'theft and credit monitoring via '
'Epiq'],
'containment_measures': ['Blocked access to the company’s '
'network (as of March 2025)'],
'enhanced_monitoring': 'Yes (claimed)',
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes',
'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes',
'remediation_measures': ['Added extra security to its network'],
'third_party_assistance': ['Forensic experts',
'Epiq (for identity theft '
'monitoring)']},
'title': 'Hyundai Motor Group Data Breach Affecting 2.7 Million Customers',
'type': ['Data Breach', 'Unauthorized Access']}