PII covers information that identifies people, making its collection, storage, and disclosure central to privacy protection and breach response.
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Background for this topic.
PII (personally identifiable information) is information that identifies a person directly or can do so when combined with other data. Direct identifiers include names, government identification numbers, passport details, and email addresses; indirect identifiers can include birth dates, precise location, or unique account attributes. The term is used broadly in security, but its legal scope varies: laws and regulations may use different definitions, such as “personal data” under the GDPR or protected health information under HIPAA.
PII is a high-value target because unauthorized access or disclosure can enable identity fraud, targeted phishing, or privacy harm. It may be exposed through compromised applications, cloud storage, logs, endpoints, or third parties. Practitioners should inventory and classify it, collect and retain only what is needed, restrict access, and protect it with encryption or tokenization where appropriate. Monitoring and tested procedures for investigating exposure are important, while retention, deletion, and notification duties depend on the applicable jurisdiction and sector.
Alerts Come on the Heels of Recent Attacks on InsurersU.S. federal authorities are warning the public and healthcare sector entities of email and fax phishing scams by fraudsters seeking to steal personal information about patients or payments. The warnings come as three large U.S. insurers continue to recover from recent cyberattacks.
Hacker Posts Apparent Personal ID Number and Email of President Pedro SánchezSpanish police are investigating a hacker leaking the personal data of government officials and politicians, including the apparent national ID number and personal email of President Pedro Sánchez. A hacker with the handle "@akkaspace" took responsibility.
Group Amassed Intelligence on CFO to Trick Help Desk and Gain Initial AccessHackers tied to the cybercrime group Scattered Spider have been taking down fresh victims, including a logistics firm first breached when attackers tricked its help desk, using personal information they amassed for the CFO, reports the security team that responded to the intrusion.
Personal Data Stolen in Ransomware Hit, Says Dutch Owner of Stop & Shop, Giant FoodFood retail giant Ahold Delhaize USA is notifying 2.2 million current and former employees, as well as an unspecified number of employees in the Netherlands, that a November 2024 data breach exposed their personally identifiable information, including Social Security numbers and medical details.
A cyber-attack by pro-Iranian group Cyber Fattah has leaked personal information from the Saudi Games online