Community Action Partnership of Kern

The Community Action Partnership of Kern suffered a data breach where unauthorized actors gained access to the tax returns of 512 clients between October 2019 and December 2019. The incident was detected on December 23, 2019, and formally reported to the California Office of the Attorney General on January 17, 2020. The compromised data included highly sensitive personal and financial information, such as full names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and private financial records. The breach exposed clients to significant risks, including identity theft, financial fraud, and long-term reputational harm. Given the nature of the stolen data particularly Social Security numbers and financial details the affected individuals face elevated threats of fraudulent activities, such as unauthorized credit applications, tax fraud, or targeted phishing scams. The organization’s failure to prevent the breach also raises concerns about its data security protocols and compliance with regulatory standards, potentially leading to legal repercussions and erosion of public trust. While the breach did not involve ransomware or a direct cyberattack (e.g., malware deployment), the unauthorized access to tax returns and personally identifiable information (PII) classifies it as a severe data breach with lasting consequences for both the victims and the organization’s credibility.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-186190

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/community-action-partnership-of-kern

"id": "com959091725",
"linkid": "community-action-partnership-of-kern",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "10/2019",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '512',
                        'industry': 'Social Services',
                        'location': 'Kern County, California, USA',
                        'name': 'Community Action Partnership of Kern',
                        'type': 'Non-profit Organization'}],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
                 'file_types_exposed': ['tax documents'],
                 'number_of_records_exposed': '512',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['full names',
                                                         'addresses',
                                                         'social security '
                                                         'numbers',
                                                         'dates of birth'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['tax returns',
                                              'personally identifiable '
                                              'information (PII)',
                                              'financial information']},
 'date_detected': '2019-12-23',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2020-01-17',
 'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported that '
                'the Community Action Partnership of Kern experienced a data '
                'breach involving unauthorized access to the tax returns of '
                '512 clients between October 2019 and December 2019. The '
                'compromised information included full names, addresses, '
                'social security numbers, dates of birth, and private '
                'financial information.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['full names',
                                 'addresses',
                                 'social security numbers',
                                 'dates of birth',
                                 'private financial information'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
            'payment_information_risk': 'High'},
 'references': [{'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['California Office of '
                                                        'the Attorney '
                                                        'General']},
 'title': 'Community Action Partnership of Kern Data Breach (2019)',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}