A TransUnion data breach has exposed sensitive personal information for millions of US consumers, including dates of birth and social security numbers. However, reports of a major Gmail security problem affecting all 2.5 billion users are false, though loosely based on a far more contained incident back in June … TransUnion data breach Credit bureau TransUnion has confirmed reports that it has suffered a significant data breach exposing the personal data of around 4.4 million US consumers. One of a number of mandatory state filings lists the information exposed as: Name Social Security Number Date of birth The company says that no credit information was accessed, but the above details create an identity theft risk. The company says it is writing to those affected to inform them. The letter reads in part: We are writing to make you aware of a cyber incident involving unauthorized access to some of your personal data that was stored on a third-party application. Importantly, no credit information was accessed. We are providing details about the incident and about resources we are providing to assist you. We recently experienced a cyber incident involving a third-party application serving our U.S. consumer support operations. The unauthorized access includes some limited personal information belonging to you. CNET says that 4.4 million people were affected. Given the frequency of these types of data breaches, it may well be wise to freeze your credit if you are not currently in the process of making any credit applications. A firm of lawyers is, of course, already preparing their class action lawsuit. Gmail security reports are false In unrelated security news, Google says there is no truth in reports of a major Gmail security issue. There have been several reports claiming that Google issued an emergency warning to all 2.5 billion Gmail users following a wave of cyber attacks. The company says these reports are “entirely false.” Several inaccurate claims surfaced recently that incorrectly stated that we issued a broad warning to all Gmail users about a major Gmail security issue. This is entirely false. While it’s always the case that phishers are looking for ways to infiltrate inboxes, our protections continue to block more than 99.9% of phishing and malware attempts from reaching users. As Engadget notes, the claims appear to be very loosely based on a phishing attack targeting Salesforce back in June. Google said that the far more limited set of people affected by that have already been notified. Highlighted accessories Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash