Opes Advisors

On May 26, 2016, Opes Advisors experienced a data breach after an unauthorized party gained access to an employee’s email account by compromising its login credentials. The incident, reported by the California Office of the Attorney General on July 14, 2016, exposed sensitive personal information, including names and Social Security numbers (SSNs) of affected individuals. While the exact number of victims remains undisclosed, the breach posed a significant risk of identity theft, financial fraud, and reputational harm to those impacted. The compromised email account likely contained confidential client or employee data, heightening concerns over potential misuse. The breach underscores vulnerabilities in credential security and the broader implications of phishing or account takeover attacks targeting financial advisory firms. Given the nature of the exposed data, affected individuals may face long-term consequences, including unauthorized credit applications, tax fraud, or targeted scams. The incident also raises questions about Opes Advisors’ cybersecurity protocols, particularly in safeguarding high-value personal identifiers like SSNs, which are prime targets for cybercriminals.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-62850

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

"id": "ope1010090725",
"linkid": "opeswealthpartners",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "5/2016",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'location': 'California, USA',
                        'name': 'Opes Advisors',
                        'type': 'Organization'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Compromised Credentials (Email Account)',
 'data_breach': {'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
                                                         'Social Security '
                                                         'Numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (includes SSNs)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personal Information']},
 'date_detected': '2016-05-26',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2016-07-14',
 'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
                'breach involving Opes Advisors on July 14, 2016. The breach '
                "occurred on May 26, 2016, when an email account's login "
                'credentials were compromised, potentially exposing personal '
                'information, including names and social security numbers.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Names', 'Social Security Numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'Potential',
            'systems_affected': ['Email Account']},
 'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'Email Account Credentials'},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2016-07-14',
                 'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['California Office of '
                                                        'the Attorney '
                                                        'General']},
 'title': 'Opes Advisors Data Breach (2016)',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}