On May 11, 2016, a data breach was reported by the California Attorney General's Office, involving Lynn N. Talbott, Jr., CPA. The incident, detected on April 19, 2016, stemmed from suspicious activity on a work computer, potentially exposing sensitive personal information of affected individuals. The compromised data included names, Social Security numbers, and bank account details highly valuable targets for identity theft and financial fraud. The breach prompted immediate action, with notifications sent to law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to investigate the unauthorized access. To mitigate risks for victims, identity protection services were arranged, offering monitoring and support against potential misuse of the exposed data. The nature of the breach suggests a targeted intrusion, likely exploiting vulnerabilities in system security or human error (e.g., phishing or malware). Given the sensitivity of the leaked information (financial and personally identifiable data), the incident poses significant reputational and financial risks to the firm and its clients. While no direct evidence of data theft was confirmed in the report, the potential for fraud and identity-related crimes remains a critical concern. The involvement of federal agencies underscores the seriousness of the exposure, particularly in a sector handling confidential client information.
Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-61797
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/bradley-&-associates-p-c-
"id": "bra224090725",
"linkid": "bradley-&-associates-p-c-",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "4/2016",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"
{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Financial Services / Accounting',
'location': 'California, USA',
'name': 'Lynn N. Talbott, Jr., CPA',
'type': 'Accounting Firm'}],
'customer_advisories': ['identity protection services offered'],
'data_breach': {'personally_identifiable_information': ['names',
'social security '
'numbers'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'high',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['personal information',
'financial information']},
'date_detected': '2016-04-19',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2016-05-11',
'description': "On May 11, 2016, the California Attorney General's Office "
'reported a data breach involving Lynn N. Talbott, Jr., CPA, '
'which occurred on April 19, 2016. The breach involved '
'suspicious activity on a work computer, potentially exposing '
'personal information such as names, social security numbers, '
'and bank account details of individuals affected. The FBI and '
'other agencies have been notified, and identity protection '
'services have been arranged for those impacted.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': ['names',
'social security numbers',
'bank account details'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'high (due to exposed PII)',
'payment_information_risk': 'high (bank account details exposed)',
'systems_affected': ['work computer']},
'references': [{'source': "California Attorney General's Office"}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['California Attorney '
"General's Office"]},
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': ['FBI', 'other agencies'],
'recovery_measures': ['identity protection services for affected '
'individuals']},
'title': 'Data Breach at Lynn N. Talbott, Jr., CPA',
'type': 'Data Breach'}