On May 18, 2022, Cultural Experiences Abroad, LLC (CEA) experienced a ransomware attack that resulted in a data breach affecting at least two Maine residents. The compromised personal information included names and Social Security numbers, which are highly sensitive identifiers. The breach was reported to the Maine Attorney General’s Office on September 13, 2022, and CEA also notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In response, the company is providing 12 months of complimentary identity theft protection services to the affected individuals. The incident highlights the risks of ransomware attacks targeting personal data, particularly when financial or identity-related information is exposed. While the breach appears limited in scope (only two confirmed victims), the nature of the stolen data (Social Security numbers) poses a high risk of identity theft and financial fraud. The delayed reporting (nearly four months after discovery) may also raise concerns about incident response timeliness. CEA’s mitigation efforts, including credit monitoring, aim to reduce potential harm, but the breach underscores vulnerabilities in data protection against cyber extortion schemes.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/caep
"id": "cae1008091725",
"linkid": "caep",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "5/2022",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 2,
'industry': 'education/abroad study programs',
'name': 'Cultural Experiences Abroad, LLC (CEA)',
'type': 'private company'},
{'industry': 'legal/regulatory',
'location': 'Maine, USA',
'name': "Maine Attorney General's Office",
'type': 'government'}],
'customer_advisories': ['12 months of complimentary identity theft protection '
'services offered to affected individuals'],
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 2,
'personally_identifiable_information': ['names',
'Social Security '
'numbers'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'high',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['personally identifiable '
'information (PII)']},
'date_detected': '2022-05-18',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2022-09-13',
'description': "The Maine Attorney General's Office was notified on September "
'13, 2022, about a data breach incident involving Cultural '
'Experiences Abroad, LLC (CEA) that occurred on May 18, 2022. '
'The breach, identified as a ransomware attack, affected the '
'personal information of two Maine residents, specifically '
'their names and Social Security numbers. CEA has reported the '
'incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is '
'offering affected individuals 12 months of complimentary '
'identity theft protection services.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': ['names', 'Social Security numbers'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'high (due to exposure of SSNs)'},
'investigation_status': 'reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation '
'(FBI)',
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': True},
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2022-09-13',
'source': "Maine Attorney General's Office notification"}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Maine Attorney '
"General's Office"]},
'response': {'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
'law_enforcement_notified': True,
'remediation_measures': ['offering 12 months of complimentary '
'identity theft protection services to '
'affected individuals']},
'title': 'Data Breach at Cultural Experiences Abroad, LLC (CEA) Due to '
'Ransomware Attack',
'type': 'ransomware attack'}