Central Securities Corporation

Central Securities Corporation suffered a data breach due to unauthorized access to its internal systems, beginning on April 17, 2024. The incident compromised the personal information of 624 individuals, including 3 Maine residents, with sensitive data such as government identification numbers and Social Security numbers being exfiltrated. The breach exposed affected individuals to potential identity theft risks, prompting the company to offer 24 months of Experian IdentityWorks credit monitoring as a remedial measure. The unauthorized removal of personally identifiable information (PII) suggests a targeted intrusion aimed at exploiting financial and identity-related data, posing long-term risks for the victims. While the breach did not immediately result in confirmed fraud, the exposure of SSNs and government IDs significantly elevates the likelihood of malicious use, such as fraudulent account openings or tax fraud. The company’s response included mitigation efforts, but the incident underscores vulnerabilities in safeguarding high-value personal data against cyber intrusions.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/91df39fb-6487-42bc-8a25-41a9641e3b3a.html

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/central-securities

"id": "cen1013091725",
"linkid": "central-securities",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "4/2024",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 624,
                        'name': 'Central Securities Corporation',
                        'type': 'Corporation'}],
 'customer_advisories': ['24 months of Experian IdentityWorks credit '
                         'monitoring offered to affected individuals'],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': True,
                 'number_of_records_exposed': 624,
                 'personally_identifiable_information': True,
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['government identification '
                                              'numbers',
                                              'Social Security numbers']},
 'date_detected': '2024-04-17',
 'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported that '
                'Central Securities Corporation experienced a data breach due '
                'to unauthorized access to their internal systems starting on '
                'April 17, 2024. The breach affected 624 individuals in total, '
                'with 3 residents from Maine included, and involved the '
                'unauthorized removal of personal information such as '
                'government identification numbers and Social Security '
                'numbers. Identity theft protection services, including 24 '
                'months of Experian IdentityWorks credit monitoring, were '
                'offered to affected individuals.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['government identification numbers',
                                 'Social Security numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
            'systems_affected': ['internal systems']},
 'references': [{'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Maine Office of the '
                                                        'Attorney General']},
 'response': {'third_party_assistance': ['Experian IdentityWorks']},
 'title': 'Central Securities Corporation Data Breach',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}