On January 10, 2021, Gastroenterology Consultants P.A. experienced a data breach due to an external system hacking incident, compromising the sensitive information of 162,163 individuals, including at least one Maine resident. The exposed data included Social Security Numbers (SSNs), a highly sensitive form of personally identifiable information (PII). Such exposure significantly elevates the risk of identity theft, financial fraud, and long-term reputational harm for affected individuals. In response, the organization provided 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft restoration services via IDX to mitigate potential damages. The breach was formally reported to the Maine Attorney General’s Office on August 5, 2021, indicating a delayed public disclosure. The scale of the breach—affecting over 160,000 records—and the nature of the compromised data (SSNs) underscore its severity, as such information is a prime target for cybercriminals engaging in fraudulent activities, including loan applications, tax fraud, and unauthorized account access.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/giconsultants
"id": "gic130082125",
"linkid": "giconsultants",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "1/2021",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 162163,
'industry': 'Healthcare',
'name': 'Gastroenterology Consultants P.A.',
'type': 'Healthcare Provider'}],
'attack_vector': 'External System Breach (Hacking)',
'customer_advisories': '12 months of complimentary credit monitoring and '
'identity theft restoration services offered to '
'affected individuals via IDX',
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 162163,
'personally_identifiable_information': True,
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Personally Identifiable '
'Information)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers']},
'date_detected': '2021-01-10',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2021-08-05',
'description': "The Maine Attorney General's Office reported a data breach "
'involving Gastroenterology Consultants P.A. on August 5, '
'2021. The breach, which occurred on January 10, 2021, was due '
'to an external system breach (hacking) affecting a total of '
'162,163 individuals, with 1 resident specifically noted. The '
'compromised information included Social Security Numbers, and '
'the organization offered 12 months of complimentary credit '
'monitoring and identity theft restoration services through '
'IDX.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential negative impact due to '
'exposure of sensitive data',
'data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (Social Security Numbers '
'compromised)'},
'references': [{'source': "Maine Attorney General's Office"}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Maine Attorney '
"General's Office"},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public disclosure via Maine Attorney '
"General's Office; offer of 12 months "
'of complimentary credit monitoring '
'and identity theft restoration '
'services to affected individuals',
'third_party_assistance': 'IDX (for credit monitoring and '
'identity theft restoration services)'},
'title': 'Data Breach at Gastroenterology Consultants P.A.',
'type': 'Data Breach'}