Gemstone Publishing, Inc.

Gemstone Publishing, Inc. suffered a data breach between November 2, 2021, and November 5, 2021, caused by an external system hack. The incident exposed sensitive personal information, specifically Social Security Numbers (SSNs), of 394 individuals, including 3 Maine residents. The breach posed a significant risk of identity theft, prompting the company to offer one year of free identity theft protection services via Experian IdentityWorks Credit 3B to affected individuals. The exposure of SSNs highly valuable for fraudulent activities heightens the potential for long-term financial and reputational harm to the victims. While the breach did not involve ransomware or a broader systemic attack, the compromise of such critical data underscores the severity of the incident, particularly given the targeted nature of the hack and the lack of immediate containment within the three-day window.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/8780e067-2357-42f4-a05f-d7a47bad864d.shtml

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/geppi-family-enterprises

"id": "gep933082125",
"linkid": "geppi-family-enterprises",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "11/2021",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 394,
                        'industry': 'Publishing',
                        'name': 'Gemstone Publishing, Inc.',
                        'type': 'Private Company'}],
 'attack_vector': 'External System Hack',
 'customer_advisories': ['Identity theft protection services offered for one '
                         'year via Experian IdentityWorks Credit 3B'],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 394,
                 'personally_identifiable_information': True,
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers']},
 'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported that '
                'Gemstone Publishing, Inc. experienced a data breach due to an '
                'external system hack from November 2, 2021, to November 5, '
                '2021, affecting 394 individuals, including 3 residents. The '
                'breached data included Social Security Numbers, and identity '
                'theft protection services were offered for one year through '
                'Experian IdentityWorks Credit 3B.',
 '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': {'third_party_assistance': ['Experian IdentityWorks Credit 3B '
                                         '(Identity Theft Protection '
                                         'Services)']},
 'title': 'Gemstone Publishing, Inc. Data Breach (November 2021)',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}