Several other insurers have been issued penalties by the state of New York in the wake of this wide-reaching data breach, including GEICO, Travelers and Noblr. (Credit: New Africa/Adobe Stock)

Auto insurance company Root must pay $975,000 in penalties by order of New York Attorney Letitia James for failing to protect the information of around 45,000 New Yorkers during a data breach.

Root does not actually write auto policies in New York, but their online quoting tool allegedly allowed bad actors access to the driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers and other private information of drivers in the state. This breach was part of an industry-wide information grab in which data thieves used stolen driver information to file fraudulent unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic.


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