Payroll Processor Reveals Data Breach

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A Minneapolis-based payroll processor informed 27,000 of its customers last week that their personal data may be at risk after a hacker attacked the company's payroll system last December.

Ceridian, the payroll processing company, says in a letter to affected customers that the hacker attacked its systems on December 22 and 23, potentially revealing Social Security numbers, birthdates and bank accounts of employees working at 1,900 companies nationwide.

A Ceridian spokesman says the breach was reported to the FBI, but the affected customers were not notified until last week that their private information could be compromised. The spokesman says the company knows of no financial losses related to the hacker attack.

It's the second security breach in three year at Ceridian, which posted revenues of $1.6 billion in 2009. In 2007, the theft of financial information involved a former employee.