The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) experienced a data breach on January 26, 2023, caused by a phishing attack that led to the inadvertent disclosure of employee W2 information. The breach was publicly reported on March 2, 2023, exposing sensitive personal and financial details of affected individuals, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and tax-related information. The compromised data poses significant risks, such as identity theft and financial fraud, prompting NCCER to offer 12 months of identity theft protection services through Equifax to mitigate potential harm. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in handling employee-sensitive data, particularly through social engineering tactics like phishing. While no immediate financial losses or operational disruptions were reported, the exposure of such critical information could lead to long-term reputational damage and legal repercussions for the organization. The breach underscores the need for stronger cybersecurity awareness training and robust email security protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future. Affected employees remain at heightened risk of fraudulent activities, necessitating continuous monitoring and proactive measures to safeguard their identities.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/installations-3-construction-training-center
"id": "ins022091825",
"linkid": "installations-3-construction-training-center",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "1/2023",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Education & Construction Training',
'location': 'United States (Florida, HQ in Alachua)',
'name': 'National Center for Construction Education '
'and Research (NCCER)',
'type': 'Non-Profit Organization'}],
'attack_vector': 'Phishing',
'customer_advisories': '12 Months of Identity Theft Protection Offered to '
'Affected Employees',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes (Inadvertent Disclosure via '
'Phishing)',
'file_types_exposed': ['W2 Forms'],
'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
'Addresses',
'Social Security '
'Numbers'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (SSN, Tax Data)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
'Information (PII)',
'Tax Information (W2)']},
'date_detected': '2023-01-26',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-03-02',
'description': 'The National Center for Construction Education and Research '
'(NCCER) reported a data breach involving the inadvertent '
'disclosure of employee W2 information due to a phishing '
'attack. The breach exposed names, addresses, Social Security '
'numbers, and tax-related information of affected individuals. '
'NCCER is providing 12 months of identity theft protection '
'services through Equifax to those impacted.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential Reputation Damage (Data '
'Breach Disclosure)',
'data_compromised': ['Names',
'Addresses',
'Social Security Numbers',
'Tax-Related Information (W2)'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (PII and Tax Information Exposed)'},
'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'Phishing Email',
'high_value_targets': 'Employee W2 Data'},
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Human Error (Successful Phishing '
'Attack)'},
'references': [{'source': 'NCCER Public Disclosure (March 2, 2023)'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public Disclosure (March 2, 2023)',
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Likely (Given Public '
'Disclosure and Remediation)',
'remediation_measures': '12 Months of Identity Theft Protection '
'for Affected Individuals',
'third_party_assistance': 'Equifax (Identity Theft Protection '
'Services)'},
'title': 'NCCER Phishing Attack Leading to Employee W2 Data Breach',
'type': 'Data Breach (Phishing)',
'vulnerability_exploited': 'Human Error (Falling for Phishing Scam)'}