On March 21, 2021, Mercer Valve Co., Inc. experienced a data breach that was reported to the Maine Attorney General's Office on August 13, 2021. The incident compromised the personal information of at least one Maine resident, exposing highly sensitive data, including names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers (SSNs), and financial account details. Such information, if misused, could lead to severe identity theft or financial fraud. In response, Mercer Valve Co., Inc. took immediate measures to secure its IT environment and mitigate further risks. The company also extended identity theft protection services to the affected individual as a remedial action. The breach highlights the critical need for robust cybersecurity protocols, particularly when handling personally identifiable information (PII) and financial records, which are prime targets for malicious actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities for monetary gain or other nefarious purposes.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/mercer-valve-co.-inc.
"id": "mer020091825",
"linkid": "mercer-valve-co.-inc.",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "3/2021",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 1,
'name': 'Mercer Valve Co., Inc.',
'type': 'Company'},
{'industry': 'Legal/Regulatory',
'location': 'Maine, USA',
'name': "Maine Attorney General's Office",
'type': 'Government'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Identity theft protection services offered to the '
'affected individual',
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 1,
'personally_identifiable_information': ['names',
'dates of birth',
'Social Security '
'Numbers'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
'Information (PII)',
'Financial Data']},
'date_detected': '2021-03-21',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2021-08-13',
'description': "The Maine Attorney General's Office was notified on August "
'13, 2021, about a data breach involving Mercer Valve Co., '
'Inc. that occurred on March 21, 2021. The breach potentially '
'affected one Maine resident, compromising personal '
'information such as names, dates of birth, Social Security '
'Numbers, and financial account details. Mercer took steps to '
'secure their environment and offered identity theft '
'protection services to the affected individual.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': ['names',
'dates of birth',
'Social Security Numbers',
'financial account details'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (PII and financial data exposed)',
'payment_information_risk': 'High (financial account details '
'exposed)'},
'references': [{'source': "Maine Attorney General's Office"}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Maine Attorney '
"General's Office"]},
'response': {'communication_strategy': "Notified Maine Attorney General's "
'Office; offered identity theft '
'protection to affected individual',
'containment_measures': 'Secured their environment',
'incident_response_plan_activated': True},
'title': 'Mercer Valve Co., Inc. Data Breach (2021)',
'type': 'Data Breach'}