Matson Navigation Company, Inc.

On December 23, 2015, the Washington State Office of the Attorney General disclosed a data breach involving Matson Navigation Company, Inc. The incident stemmed from a missing device containing unencrypted personal information of 2,185 Washington mariners. The compromised data included highly sensitive details such as names, birth dates, addresses, telephone numbers, Social Security numbers, and bank account information. The device was last backed up on November 9, 2015, but its disappearance was not reported until December 7, 2015, leaving a critical window for potential exposure. The breach posed significant risks of identity theft, financial fraud, and unauthorized access to personal records, as the lost device held no encryption protections. While the exact cause of the device’s loss (theft, misplacement, or negligence) was not specified, the exposure of financial and personally identifiable information (PII) elevated concerns over long-term repercussions for the affected individuals, including potential phishing attacks, credit fraud, or misuse of Social Security data. The incident underscored vulnerabilities in data handling and device security protocols within the company’s operations.

Source: https://www.atg.wa.gov/data-breach-notifications | https://data.wa.gov/resource/sb4j-ca4h.json?id=9602

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/matson-inc

"id": "mat1022090725",
"linkid": "matson-inc",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "11/2015",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 2185,
                        'industry': 'Transportation/Logistics (Maritime)',
                        'location': 'Washington, USA',
                        'name': 'Matson Navigation Company, Inc.',
                        'type': 'Private Company'},
                       {'customers_affected': 2185,
                        'industry': 'Transportation/Logistics (Maritime)',
                        'location': 'Washington, USA',
                        'name': 'Horizon Lines',
                        'type': 'Private Company'}],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Unclear (device missing; potential for '
                                      'unauthorized access)',
                 'number_of_records_exposed': 2185,
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
                                                         'Birth dates',
                                                         'Addresses',
                                                         'Telephone numbers',
                                                         'Social Security '
                                                         'numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)',
                                              'Financial Data']},
 'date_detected': '2015-12-07',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2015-12-23',
 'description': 'The Washington State Office of the Attorney General reported '
                'a data breach involving Matson Navigation Company, Inc. and '
                'Horizon Lines. The breach included a missing device '
                'containing personal information of 2,185 Washington mariners, '
                'potentially exposing their names, birth dates, addresses, '
                'telephone numbers, Social Security numbers, and bank account '
                'information. The device was last backed up on November 9, '
                '2015, and was reported missing on December 7, 2015.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational harm due to '
                                       'exposure of sensitive personal data',
            'data_compromised': ['Names',
                                 'Birth dates',
                                 'Addresses',
                                 'Telephone numbers',
                                 'Social Security numbers',
                                 'Bank account information'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs and bank account information '
                                   'exposed)',
            'payment_information_risk': 'High (bank account information '
                                        'exposed)',
            'systems_affected': ['Missing device (backup from 2015-11-09)']},
 'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Loss/theft of unsecured device '
                                           'containing sensitive backup data'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Washington State Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Washington State '
                                                       'Office of the Attorney '
                                                       'General'},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public disclosure via Washington '
                                        'State Office of the Attorney General'},
 'title': 'Matson Navigation Company and Horizon Lines Data Breach (2015)',
 'type': 'Data Breach (Lost/Stolen Device)'}