Tesla tesla.com Tesla data breach 2023: what happened and what to do
In May 2023 German outlet Handelsblatt told Tesla it held confidential Tesla data. Tesla said two former employees leaked it and notified 75,735 current and former employees in August 2023. The data included names, addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers.
View all 13,115 breaches- Breach date
- 10 May 2023
- Affected
- 75,735
- Data exposed
- Names, Physical addresses, Phone numbers, Social security numbers
- Last updated
What happened
On May 10, 2023, the German newspaper Handelsblatt told Tesla it had obtained confidential Tesla information. Tesla investigated and said two former employees had misappropriated the data in violation of its IT security and data protection policies and passed it to the outlet. Reporting at the time put the leak at more than 23,000 internal documents, around 100 GB, which Handelsblatt called the "Tesla Files".
Tesla filed a notice with the Maine Attorney General that said 75,735 people were affected, both current and former employees. Letters to those people are dated August 18, 2023, and the breach appears on the California Attorney General's list of notified breaches.
What was exposed
According to press coverage of the Maine filing, the data included employees' names, addresses, phone numbers and employment-related records, and Social Security numbers. The letter to affected people listed names and contact details and, in reports, didn't mention Social Security numbers, while the Maine filing did. If you received a letter, read it for exactly what applies to you.
What it means for you
A Social Security number with a name and address is enough to open credit in someone's name, so a credit freeze matters most here. Phone numbers and addresses make convincing phishing and phone scams possible.
The company's response
Tesla said it had detected no misuse of the data and offered complimentary Experian IdentityWorks credit monitoring. It sued the two former employees, which led to their devices being seized, and obtained court orders barring them from using or sharing the data. Handelsblatt told Tesla it wouldn't publish the information.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
A freeze is free and stops most new accounts in your name. Place it separately at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
- 2
Take the credit monitoring if you were offered it
Tesla's letter offered Experian IdentityWorks. Use the activation code in your letter before it expires.
- 3
Watch your statements and credit reports
Look for accounts or charges you don't recognise. You can get free reports at annualcreditreport.com.
- 4
Treat unexpected emails that mention the breach with suspicion
Criminals use breach details to make scam emails look real. Don't click links in a message you didn't expect. Go to the company's site by typing the address yourself.
- 5
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Serus runs a free scan that checks breach databases for your email address and phone number, and Serus monitors the dark web and breach databases and alerts you when your details turn up again. Breach data can't be taken back once it has leaked, so the scan tells you what to change, not what to delete.
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Tesla data breach?
Tesla notified affected people by letter dated August 18, 2023. The Maine filing counts 75,735 current and former employees. A Serus free scan checks breach databases for your email.
What was exposed in the Tesla data breach?
Names, addresses, phone numbers, employment-related records and Social Security numbers, according to press coverage of Tesla's state filing.
Was the Tesla breach a hack?
Tesla said it was a leak by two former employees to Handelsblatt, not an outside attack.
Should I freeze my credit after the Tesla breach?
A Social Security number was reported among the data, so a freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is the standard protection.
Sources
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