FHT Advisors, LLC

FHT Advisors, LLC suffered a data breach resulting from unauthorized access to an employee’s email account between June 15, 2020, and August 25, 2020. The incident exposed sensitive personal information, including Social Security Numbers (SSNs), affecting approximately 680 individuals. The breach was detected on October 28, 2020, and notification letters were dispatched to impacted parties on November 27, 2020. The compromise stemmed from a targeted attack on an employee’s email, likely via phishing or credential theft, enabling threat actors to exfiltrate confidential data. While the exact method of intrusion remains undisclosed, the exposure of SSNs poses significant risks, including identity theft, financial fraud, and long-term reputational harm to both the company and affected individuals. The delayed discovery (over two months after the initial breach) further exacerbates potential damages, as malicious actors had prolonged access to sensitive records. FHT Advisors’ response included regulatory disclosure and victim notification, though the breach underscores vulnerabilities in email security protocols and employee cybersecurity awareness. The incident highlights the critical need for robust access controls, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and continuous monitoring to mitigate similar threats in the future.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/dd5bba16-862d-46f3-8469-1a1a0808c8bc.shtml

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/freeman-heyne

"id": "fre015091825",
"linkid": "freeman-heyne",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2020",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '680',
                        'name': 'FHT Advisors, LLC',
                        'type': 'Private Company'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Unauthorized Access (Email Account Compromise)',
 'customer_advisories': 'Notification letters sent (2020-11-27)',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '680',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes (SSNs)',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers']},
 'date_detected': '2020-10-28',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2020-11-27',
 'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported that FHT '
                'Advisors, LLC experienced a data breach due to unauthorized '
                "access to an employee's email account. The breach occurred "
                'from June 15, 2020, to August 25, 2020, potentially affecting '
                'approximately 680 individuals, with Social Security Numbers '
                'among the compromised information. The incident was '
                'discovered on October 28, 2020, and notification letters were '
                'sent to affected individuals on November 27, 2020.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs compromised)',
            'systems_affected': ['Employee Email Account']},
 'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'Employee Email Account'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Maine Office of the '
                                                       'Attorney General'},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Notification letters sent to affected '
                                        'individuals (2020-11-27)'},
 'title': 'FHT Advisors, LLC Data Breach via Unauthorized Email Access',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}