Emma Willard School

The Emma Willard School experienced a data breach on July 12, 2021, reported by the Maine Office of the Attorney General on August 11, 2021. The incident stemmed from a hacking attack, compromising the personal information of approximately 400 to 600 individuals, including Social Security Numbers (SSNs) a highly sensitive data type often exploited for identity theft. While the exact method of infiltration remains undisclosed, the breach exposed individuals to significant risks, such as financial fraud and unauthorized account access. In response, the school offered 12 months of identity theft protection services through Kroll to affected parties, mitigating potential long-term harm. The breach underscores vulnerabilities in the institution’s cybersecurity defenses, particularly in safeguarding personally identifiable information (PII) from external threats. No ransomware involvement was reported, but the exposure of SSNs elevates the severity due to the high potential for identity-based crimes.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/98ee672b-bab1-4626-b26d-043a35a001d6.shtml

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/finalsite

"id": "fin040091825",
"linkid": "finalsite",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "7/2021",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '400-600 individuals',
                        'industry': 'Education',
                        'location': 'Troy, New York, USA',
                        'name': 'Emma Willard School',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Hacking',
 'customer_advisories': ['Identity theft protection services offered to '
                         'affected individuals'],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '400-600',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['Social Security '
                                                         'Numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (includes SSNs)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)']},
 'date_detected': '2021-07-12',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2021-08-11',
 'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
                'breach involving Emma Willard School on August 11, 2021. The '
                'breach occurred on July 12, 2021, due to a hacking incident, '
                'potentially affecting approximately 400 to 600 individuals, '
                'including identified personal information such as Social '
                'Security Numbers. Identity theft protection services through '
                'Kroll were offered for 12 months.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs exposed)'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Maine Office of the '
                                                        'Attorney General']},
 'response': {'recovery_measures': ['12 months of identity theft protection '
                                    'services for affected individuals'],
              'third_party_assistance': ['Kroll (Identity Theft Protection)']},
 'title': 'Data Breach at Emma Willard School',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}