Emma Willard School

On May 14, 2020, Emma Willard School suffered a data breach caused by an external hacking incident. The breach exposed Social Security numbers (SSNs) of 2,273 individuals, including 16 Maine residents, potentially leading to identity theft risks. The school took nearly five months to notify affected individuals, sending letters on October 28, 2020, and offered 24 months of identity theft protection services as a remedial measure. The compromised data primarily SSNs poses a long-term risk of financial fraud, unauthorized account openings, and other identity-related crimes. The delay in disclosure may have further exacerbated vulnerabilities for the victims. The breach highlights systemic weaknesses in the institution’s cybersecurity defenses, particularly in safeguarding highly sensitive personal identifiers from external threats.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/e5799c98-e656-4481-8b19-fbd0c73d6c37.shtml

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/blackbaud

"id": "bla256082125",
"linkid": "blackbaud",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "5/2020",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '2,273 individuals (including 16 '
                                              'Maine residents)',
                        'industry': 'Education',
                        'location': 'Troy, New York, USA',
                        'name': 'Emma Willard School',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'attack_vector': 'External System Breach (Hacking)',
 'customer_advisories': '24 months of identity theft protection services '
                        'offered to affected individuals',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '2,273',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['Social Security '
                                                         'Numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Social Security Numbers)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': 'Personally Identifiable '
                                             'Information (PII)'},
 'date_detected': '2020-05-14',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2020-10-28',
 'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported that Emma '
                'Willard School experienced a data breach on May 14, 2020, due '
                'to an external system breach (hacking). The breach '
                'potentially exposed Social Security numbers of 2,273 '
                'individuals, including 16 Maine residents. Notification '
                'letters were sent to affected individuals on October 28, '
                '2020, offering 24 months of identity theft protection '
                'services.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (2,273 individuals exposed)'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Maine Office of the '
                                                       'Attorney General'},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Notification letters sent to affected '
                                        'individuals (October 28, 2020)',
              'law_enforcement_notified': 'Maine Office of the Attorney '
                                          'General'},
 'title': 'Emma Willard School Data Breach (2020)',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}