Palm Springs Federal Credit Union

On October 20, 2014, Palm Springs Federal Credit Union suffered a data breach due to the loss of an external storage drive. The compromised device contained sensitive member information, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and account numbers. The exact number of affected individuals remains undisclosed, raising concerns about the potential scale of exposure. The credit union promptly launched an internal investigation and notified law enforcement to mitigate risks. Given the nature of the exposed data particularly financial and personally identifiable information (PII) the incident poses significant threats of identity theft, financial fraud, and unauthorized access to members' accounts. The breach underscores vulnerabilities in physical data security protocols, as the loss of an unencrypted or improperly secured drive led to the exposure. While no immediate evidence of malicious exploitation was reported, the long-term repercussions for affected members could include fraudulent transactions, credit damage, or targeted phishing attacks. The institution’s response focused on containment and legal compliance, though the lack of clarity on the affected population complicates risk assessment and remediation efforts.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-47289

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

"id": "gcf1007082125",
"linkid": "gcfcu",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "10/2014",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Unknown',
                        'industry': 'Financial Services',
                        'location': 'Palm Springs, California, USA',
                        'name': 'Palm Springs Federal Credit Union',
                        'type': 'Credit Union'}],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 'Unknown',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': True,
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (SSNs, account numbers)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)',
                                              'Financial Data']},
 'date_detected': '2014-10-20',
 'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported that '
                'Palm Springs Federal Credit Union experienced a data breach '
                "involving the loss of an external drive containing members' "
                'names, addresses, social security numbers, and account '
                'numbers on October 20, 2014. The number of individuals '
                'affected is unknown, and the credit union has initiated an '
                'investigation and contacted law enforcement.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential (due to exposure of '
                                       'sensitive PII)',
            'data_compromised': ['Names',
                                 'Addresses',
                                 'Social Security Numbers',
                                 'Account Numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs and account numbers exposed)',
            'payment_information_risk': 'High (account numbers exposed)'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (as of report date)',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Loss of unencrypted external drive '
                                           'containing sensitive member data'},
 'references': [{'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Reported to California '
                                                       'Office of the Attorney '
                                                       'General'},
 'response': {'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
              'law_enforcement_notified': True},
 'title': 'Palm Springs Federal Credit Union Data Breach (2014)',
 'type': 'Data Breach (Physical Loss of External Drive)'}