The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company

On **May 3, 2024**, The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company suffered a **data breach** resulting in the **inadvertent disclosure of personal information** belonging to **two individuals**. The exposed data included **Social Security numbers (SSNs)**, a highly sensitive form of personally identifiable information (PII) that significantly elevates the risk of **identity theft and financial fraud**. In response, the company offered **identity theft protection services** to the affected individuals, acknowledging the severity of the exposure. The breach was formally reported to the **Maine Office of the Attorney General** on **May 15, 2024**, indicating a delay in public disclosure. While the scale of affected individuals appears limited (only two), the nature of the compromised data—SSNs—poses **long-term risks**, as such information can be exploited for fraudulent activities like loan applications, tax fraud, or unauthorized account openings. The incident underscores vulnerabilities in the company’s **data handling and protection protocols**, particularly concerning **internal controls for safeguarding sensitive customer information**. Although no evidence suggests malicious external hacking, the **unintentional exposure** still qualifies as a **serious data leak**, warranting regulatory scrutiny and potential reputational damage. The provision of identity protection services reflects an attempt to mitigate harm, but the breach highlights the need for **strengthened data governance** to prevent future occurrences.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/16e668d0-f280-4440-974e-2d94aa2b9c32.shtml

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/lincolnfinancial

"id": "lin016091825",
"linkid": "lincolnfinancial",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "5/2024",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 2,
                        'industry': 'Financial Services (Insurance)',
                        'name': 'The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company',
                        'type': 'Insurance Company'}],
 'customer_advisories': ['Identity theft protection services offered to '
                         'affected individuals'],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 2,
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['Social Security '
                                                         'numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Social Security numbers)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)']},
 'date_detected': '2024-05-15',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-05-15',
 'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported that The '
                'Lincoln National Life Insurance Company experienced a data '
                'breach involving inadvertent disclosure of personal '
                'information. Social Security numbers were compromised, and '
                'identity theft protection services were offered to the '
                'affected individuals.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Social Security numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (identity theft protection services '
                                   'offered)'},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-05-15',
                 'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Maine Office of the '
                                                        'Attorney General']},
 'response': {'remediation_measures': ['Offered identity theft protection '
                                       'services to affected individuals']},
 'title': 'Data Breach at The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}