A hacker gained access to personal information from more than 100 million
Capital One credit applications, the bank said Monday as federal authorities arrested a suspect in the case.
The data breach affected approximately 100 million people in the United States and six million in Canada.
Capital One says the majority of information that was stolen came from credit card applications, including names, addresses, dates of birth, telephone numbers, credit scores and credit limits. The bank says 140,000 Social Security numbers and 80,000 linked bank account numbers were also taken.
According to cybersecurity expert Matthew Pascucci, once a Social Security number is out there, it's out there forever.
Pascucci says after this latest data breach, Capital One customers need to monitor their credit reports.
However, the bank does not believe the stolen data was used fraudulently.
Paige A. Thompson, who also goes by the handle "erratic," was charged with a single count of computer fraud and abuse in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Thompson made an initial appearance in court and was ordered to remain in custody pending a detention hearing Thursday.
Associated Press reports contributed to this story.