Grayback Forestry Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Information of Over 5,000 Individuals
Grayback Forestry, Inc., a Merlin, Oregon-based wildfire suppression and forest restoration company, confirmed a data breach in early 2026 that compromised the personal information of 5,026 individuals across multiple U.S. states. The company, which provides specialized services to federal, state, and private clients, detected suspicious activity in its systems on January 6, 2026, prompting an immediate investigation with external cybersecurity experts.
The breach occurred between January 5 and 6, 2026, when an unauthorized actor accessed and likely exfiltrated files containing sensitive data. A detailed review concluded on February 20, 2026, revealing that exposed information included names and Social Security numbers. Affected individuals, primarily residents of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and other states, began receiving written notifications on March 13, 2026.
Grayback Forestry, founded in 1979, operates in Oregon and Montana and employs over 40 people. The firm specializes in wildfire suppression, fuels management, and disaster response, offering services such as mobile showers and potable water trucks. Legal representatives are now investigating potential compensation claims for those impacted by the breach.
Source: https://www.claimdepot.com/investigations/grayback-forestry-data-breach-2026
Grayback Forestry Inc cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/grayback-forestry-inc
"id": "GRA1774377401",
"linkid": "grayback-forestry-inc",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "1/2026",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '5026',
'industry': 'Wildfire suppression and forest '
'restoration',
'location': 'Merlin, Oregon, USA',
'name': 'Grayback Forestry, Inc.',
'size': '40+ employees',
'type': 'Company'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Written notifications sent to affected individuals on '
'March 13, 2026',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Likely',
'number_of_records_exposed': '5026',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Names, Social '
'Security numbers',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Social Security numbers)',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Personal Information'},
'date_detected': '2026-01-06',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2026-03-13',
'date_resolved': '2026-02-20',
'description': 'Grayback Forestry, Inc. confirmed a data breach in early 2026 '
'that compromised the personal information of 5,026 '
'individuals across multiple U.S. states. The breach occurred '
'between January 5 and 6, 2026, when an unauthorized actor '
'accessed and likely exfiltrated files containing sensitive '
'data, including names and Social Security numbers.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Names and Social Security numbers',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
'legal_liabilities': 'Potential compensation claims'},
'investigation_status': 'Completed',
'references': [{'source': 'Incident disclosure'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Potential compensation claims'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Written notifications to affected '
'individuals',
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes',
'third_party_assistance': 'External cybersecurity experts'},
'title': 'Grayback Forestry Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Information of Over '
'5,000 Individuals',
'type': 'Data Breach'}