The **International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 697**, a labor union representing electricians in Lake and Newton counties, Indiana, suffered a **data breach** discovered on **August 1, 2025**. An unauthorized actor gained access to its network, compromising **personally identifiable information (PII)**, including **names and Social Security numbers (SSNs)** of current and former members. The breach was confirmed on **October 20, 2025**, after an investigation, though the exact number of affected individuals remains undisclosed.SSNs are highly sensitive, exposing victims to **identity theft, financial fraud, and long-term reputational harm**. The union responded by securing its network, engaging cybersecurity experts, and notifying affected individuals via mail starting **November 3, 2025**, along with reporting the incident to the **New Hampshire Attorney General**. To mitigate risks, IBEW Local 697 offered impacted members **free identity theft protection services**, including credit monitoring, CyberScan monitoring, **$1,000,000 in identity theft insurance**, and recovery assistance.The breach highlights the severe consequences of **employee data exposure**, particularly when critical identifiers like SSNs are involved, increasing the risk of fraudulent activities targeting union members.
Source: https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/ibew-local-697-2025
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/ibew
"id": "ibe3502335110725",
"linkid": "ibew",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "8/2025",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Current and former members '
'(exact number not disclosed)',
'industry': 'Labor/Construction',
'location': 'Lake and Newton counties, Indiana, USA',
'name': 'International Brotherhood of Electrical '
'Workers Local 697',
'type': 'Labor Union'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Affected individuals notified via mail (Nov. 3, 2025) '
'with guidance on identity theft protection',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Possible (unauthorized access or '
'acquisition)',
'personally_identifiable_information': True,
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (PII, including Social Security '
'numbers)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Names',
'Social Security numbers']},
'date_detected': '2025-08-01',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-11-04',
'description': 'The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local '
'697, a labor union representing electricians and related '
'workers in Lake and Newton counties, Indiana, experienced a '
'data breach. An unauthorized actor may have accessed or '
'acquired personally identifiable information (PII), including '
'names and Social Security numbers. The breach was detected on '
'Aug. 1, 2025, and confirmed on Oct. 20, 2025. Affected '
'individuals were notified by mail on Nov. 3, 2025, and the '
'breach was disclosed to the New Hampshire Attorney General on '
'Nov. 4, 2025. The union offered free IDX identity theft '
'protection services to impacted individuals.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational damage due to '
'exposure of sensitive PII (Social '
'Security numbers)',
'data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable Information (PII)'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (Social Security numbers exposed)'},
'investigation_status': 'Completed (as of Oct. 20, 2025)',
'references': [{'source': 'International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers '
'Local 697 Data Breach Notice'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Disclosed to New '
'Hampshire Attorney '
'General (Nov. 4, '
'2025)'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Notification letters mailed to '
'affected individuals (Nov. 3, 2025); '
'disclosure to New Hampshire Attorney '
'General (Nov. 4, 2025)',
'containment_measures': 'Network secured',
'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
'third_party_assistance': 'Incident response experts engaged'},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Free IDX identity theft protection services '
'offered (credit monitoring, CyberScan monitoring, '
'$1,000,000 identity theft insurance, recovery '
'services)',
'threat_actor': 'Unauthorized actor',
'title': 'Data Breach at International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers '
'Local 697',
'type': 'Data Breach'}