A former Swagelok employee has taken the Solon-based manufacturer to court, accusing the company of failing to protect his personal information after hackers broke into its computer network this summer. The suit, filed in Cuyahoga County, seeks to turn one man’s complaint into a class action. It lands at a moment when ransomware crews are racking up record numbers of victims, with industrial companies squarely in the crosshairs.
James Gilbert, a Cleveland man and former Swagelok employee, filed the civil suit in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, according to Cleveland.com. He accuses the company of failing to implement the security measures needed to reduce the likelihood of a breach. His attorney is Terence Coates.
Swagelok, which makes fluid system components including hoses, valves and pressure regulators, discovered the intrusion on Aug. 30, the lawsuit says. Hackers with a ransomware group called iah6477 allegedly breached the company’s IT network and stole 881 gigabytes of data. A reporter contacted Swagelok seeking comment on the suit.
What the Lawsuit Says Was Stolen
The complaint alleges that unencrypted, unredacted private information was compromised because of the company’s “negligent and/or careless acts and omissions.” It specifies that names and Social Security numbers were taken and says other information was compromised as well…