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A significant data leak exposed the location data of approximately 800,000 Volkswagen electric vehicles (EVs), encompassing models from VW, Audi, Seat, and Skoda. The leak, caused by a cloud misconfiguration, revealed real-time GPS locations of the vehicles, along with other sensitive data. This incident raises serious privacy concerns, particularly as the exposed data could be linked to vehicle owners, including sensitive individuals.

The data leak allowed unauthorized access to vehicle locations, potentially enabling surveillance and tracking of individuals. The incident highlights the critical importance of robust cloud security practices and the need for stringent data protection measures by automotive manufacturers and their software subsidiaries. The incident was brought to light by a whistleblower and security researchers.

A data broker, SL Data Services, exposed 644,869 sensitive files, including background checks, in a publicly accessible cloud storage container. The files contained personal information like names, addresses, phone numbers, and criminal histories. This highlights the risks of data brokers and the need for individuals to protect their personal information.