Gaedeke Group, LLC

On July 28, 2022, the Maine Office of the Attorney General disclosed a data breach affecting Gaedeke Group, LLC, initially detected on August 24, 2021. The incident stemmed from unauthorized access to employee email accounts, compromising sensitive information. The breach exposed Social Security numbers (SSNs) of approximately 1,499 individuals, primarily employees or associated parties. While the exact method of intrusion (e.g., phishing, credential theft) was not specified, the focus on email accounts suggests a targeted attack to harvest personally identifiable information (PII). The delayed public notification nearly a year after discovery raises concerns about incident response timelines. The exposed SSNs pose significant risks, including identity theft, financial fraud, and long-term reputational harm to the affected individuals. Gaedeke Group, a real estate management firm, faced scrutiny over its data protection measures, though no ransomware or broader systemic disruption was reported. The breach underscores vulnerabilities in email security protocols and the critical need for robust access controls to prevent unauthorized data exposure.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/b16577e9-16a0-4096-ac82-8baa8ba6b9f2.shtml

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/gaedeke-group

"id": "gae025090625",
"linkid": "gaedeke-group",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2021",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '1,499 individuals',
                        'industry': 'Real Estate / Property Management',
                        'name': 'Gaedeke Group, LLC',
                        'type': 'Private Company'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Unauthorized Access (Email Account Compromise)',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '1,499',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes (SSNs)',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Personally Identifiable '
                                        'Information - PII)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers']},
 'date_detected': '2021-08-24',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2022-07-28',
 'description': 'On July 28, 2022, the Maine Office of the Attorney General '
                'reported a data breach involving Gaedeke Group, LLC, '
                'discovered on August 24, 2021. The breach was due to '
                'unauthorized access to employee email accounts, potentially '
                'exposing the Social Security numbers of approximately 1,499 '
                'individuals.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs exposed)',
            'systems_affected': ['Employee Email Accounts']},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2022-07-28',
                 'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Maine Office of the '
                                                        'Attorney General']},
 'title': 'Gaedeke Group, LLC Data Breach via Unauthorized Email Access',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}