Verizon contractor left 14M customers' data unprotected

July 12 (UPI) -- Personal information of an estimated 14 million Verizon customers was left unsecured on the Internet, according to a tech company that investigates possible data breaches.

The vulnerability was the result of a Verizon subcontractor's error. The contractor, Israel-based NICE Systems, hosted the data in an unsecured cloud-based server that was accessible to anyone who knew where to look for it.

The potential breach was found by the website UpGuard, which seeks out potential data vulnerabilities where they exist and works to correct them. UpGuard notified Verizon of its findings June 6 and the vulnerability was corrected by June 22, UpGuard said.

UpGuard did not publicize the oversight until Wednesday, weeks after the threat of a data breach had passed.

In a statement, Verizon said the only individual to access the information other than Verizon or NICE Systems employees was the researcher from UpGuard.

"We have been able to confirm that the only access to the cloud storage area by a person other than Verizon or its vendor was a researcher who brought this issue to our attention," the company said. "In other words, there has been no loss or theft of Verizon or Verizon customer information."

The data included customers' names, addresses, account details and their Verizon personal identification number.