Growth Builders LLC

Growth Builders LLC suffered a data breach on December 5, 2023, linked to its third-party IT services provider, Human Resources Technologies, Inc. (HRTec). The incident exposed individuals' first and last names alongside unspecified data elements, though the exact scope including the number of affected individuals remains undisclosed. The breach was investigated, and notifications to impacted parties began on July 18, 2024. The compromised data appears to involve personal identifiers, but no explicit confirmation of financial, medical, or highly sensitive information (e.g., Social Security numbers, bank details) has been reported. The delay between the breach discovery and public disclosure (over seven months) raises concerns about potential misuse of the exposed data during that period. While the breach did not result in immediate, severe consequences like ransomware or systemic operational disruption, the exposure of employee or customer-related personal information even if limited poses risks of identity theft, phishing, or reputational harm to the company and affected individuals. The reliance on a third-party vendor (HRTec) as the attack vector further highlights supply-chain vulnerabilities in data security protocols.

Source: https://ago.vermont.gov/document/2024-07-18-growth-builders-data-breach-notice-consumers

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/business-buildersllc

"id": "bus306091825",
"linkid": "business-buildersllc",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "12/2023",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Unknown',
                        'location': 'Vermont, USA',
                        'name': 'Growth Builders LLC',
                        'type': 'Business'},
                       {'industry': 'IT Services / Human Resources',
                        'name': 'Human Resources Technologies, Inc. (HRTec)',
                        'type': 'Third-Party IT Services Provider'}],
 'customer_advisories': 'Notifications sent to affected individuals',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 'Unknown',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['First names',
                                                         'Last names'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'Moderate (includes names and '
                                        'unspecified elements)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)']},
 'date_detected': '2023-12-05',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-07-18',
 'description': 'The Vermont Office of the Attorney General reported that '
                'Growth Builders LLC experienced a data breach involving its '
                'former third-party IT services provider, Human Resources '
                'Technologies, Inc. (HRTec). The breach potentially '
                "compromised individuals' first and last names along with "
                'unspecified data elements. The exact number of affected '
                'individuals is unknown.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['First names',
                                 'Last names',
                                 'Unspecified data elements'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'Potential (due to PII exposure)'},
 'investigation_status': 'Completed (notifications ongoing as of 2024-07-18)',
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-07-18',
                 'source': 'Vermont Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Reported to Vermont '
                                                       'Office of the Attorney '
                                                       'General'},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Notification to affected individuals '
                                        '(as of 2024-07-18)'},
 'title': 'Data Breach at Growth Builders LLC via Third-Party IT Provider '
          '(HRTec)',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}