Monster.com Reports Security Breach, Job Seeker Data Stolen

Monster.com is saying that sensitive personal information like resumes, social security numbers and financial information are still secure -- but account login information, e-mails, names and phone numbers were stolen. This could lead to eventual phishing schemes in which identity thieves contact victims using their personal information to gain credibility when asking for additional information like bank account numbers or credit cards. And although Monster is a global company, it appears that certain areas of the world - Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific - were not affected by the raid.

Monster.com is working with U.S.-based authorities as well as security agencies around the world in attempting to track the source or sources of the attacks. A recent attack this year targeted a payment processing company based in New Jersey. Some officials are speculating that the efforts may be the work of the same hacking syndicate and that the same group is launching coordinated strikes around the world.

It's difficult to understand how some information is stolen and the more sensitive information is not - but this is still very early in the investigation. Often times, companies alert their consumers that a breach has occurred, but the extent of the breach is not fully revealed until later in the investigation. The initial public relations hit of saying that your system was compromised and credit cards and social security numbers were stolen is usually something that larger companies are going to avoid.