Smile Brands Inc.

On April 24, 2021, Smile Brands Inc. experienced a **ransomware attack** that resulted in a significant data breach, as reported by the California Office of the Attorney General on September 3, 2021. The incident compromised **protected health information (PHI)**, exposing sensitive personal details of an unspecified number of individuals. The leaked data included **names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and health insurance information**, all of which are highly sensitive and regulated under privacy laws.The breach posed severe risks to affected individuals, including potential **identity theft, financial fraud, and unauthorized access to medical records**. Given the nature of the exposed data—particularly **Social Security numbers and health insurance details**—the attack had far-reaching consequences for both customers and the organization. The involvement of **ransomware** further escalated the severity, as it indicated malicious intent to encrypt and potentially exfiltrate data for extortion.The incident underscored vulnerabilities in Smile Brands Inc.’s cybersecurity defenses, raising concerns about compliance with **healthcare data protection regulations** (e.g., HIPAA) and the company’s ability to safeguard patient information. The breach not only jeopardized customer trust but also exposed the organization to **legal liabilities, regulatory fines, and reputational damage**.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-544924

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

"id": "smi514082925",
"linkid": "smile-brands-inc.",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "4/2021",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'unspecified',
                        'industry': 'healthcare (dental services)',
                        'location': 'California, USA',
                        'name': 'Smile Brands Inc.',
                        'type': 'private company'}],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 'unspecified',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['names',
                                                         'addresses',
                                                         'Social Security '
                                                         'numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'high (includes SSNs and health '
                                        'insurance details)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['protected health information '
                                              '(PHI)',
                                              'personally identifiable '
                                              'information (PII)']},
 'date_detected': '2021-04-24',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2021-09-03',
 'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
                'breach involving Smile Brands Inc. on September 3, 2021. The '
                'breach, which occurred on April 24, 2021, was identified as a '
                'ransomware attack affecting protected health information '
                '(PHI), including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, '
                'and health insurance information for an unspecified number of '
                'individuals.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['names',
                                 'addresses',
                                 'Social Security numbers',
                                 'health insurance information'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'high (PHI and SSNs exposed)'},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2021-09-03',
                 'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulations_violated': ['HIPAA (likely, due to PHI '
                                                    'exposure)',
                                                    'California Consumer '
                                                    'Privacy Act (CCPA)'],
                           'regulatory_notifications': ['California Office of '
                                                        'the Attorney '
                                                        'General']},
 'title': 'Smile Brands Inc. Ransomware Attack and Data Breach',
 'type': 'ransomware attack, data breach'}