Business Insider reports that Tesla had data from 75,735 individuals compromised in a data breach initially reported by German publication Handelsblatt in May, which the automaker has attributed to "insider wrongdoing."
More than 23,000 files between 2015 and 2022 have been acquired by Handelsblatt, which noted that the data included employee information and customer complaints.
Exposed in the breach include 100 GB of confidential information, including employees' names and contact details, and customer complaints of braking and unintended acceleration issues, as well as the Social Security number of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, said Tesla in a staff notice filed with the Office of the Maine Attorney General.
"The investigation revealed that two former Tesla employees misappropriated the information in violation of Tesla's IT security and data protection policies and shared it with [Handelsblatt]. The outlet has stated that it does not intend to publish the personal information, and in any event, is legally prohibited from using it inappropriately," Tesla said in the notice.
