The St. Lucie County Tax Collector's Office suffered an external system breach (hacking incident) between October 16, 2023, and October 27, 2023, compromising the sensitive personal data of 25,202 individuals, including 22 Maine residents. Unauthorized actors gained access to Social Security numbers (SSNs) and driver’s license numbers, both of which are high-value targets for identity theft and fraud. The breach was disclosed late, with written notifications sent to affected individuals only on April 10, 2024 nearly six months after the incident. As a remedial measure, the office offered 12 months of identity theft protection services via TransUnion to mitigate potential financial and reputational harm to victims. The exposure of SSNs and driver’s license data poses severe risks, including financial fraud, loan applications under false identities, and long-term credit damage for affected individuals. Given the scale (over 25,000 records) and the sensitivity of the leaked data, the incident underscores critical failures in cybersecurity defenses, breach detection, and timely response. The delayed notification further exacerbates trust issues, potentially leading to legal repercussions, regulatory fines, and lasting reputational damage for the Tax Collector’s Office. The provision of credit monitoring suggests an acknowledgment of the high-risk nature of the exposed data, though it does not fully offset the immediate and long-term consequences for victims.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/st--lucie-county-board-of-county-commissioners
"id": "st-220090725",
"linkid": "st--lucie-county-board-of-county-commissioners",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "10/2023",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 25202,
'industry': 'Public Administration / Tax Collection',
'location': 'St. Lucie County, Florida, USA',
'name': "St. Lucie County Tax Collector's Office",
'type': 'Government Agency'},
{'customers_affected': 22,
'location': 'Maine, USA',
'name': 'Maine Residents (affected subset)',
'type': 'Individuals'}],
'attack_vector': 'Hacking/Unauthorized Access',
'customer_advisories': 'Written notifications sent on April 10, 2024, '
'offering 12 months of identity theft protection via '
'TransUnion',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Likely (unauthorized access implies '
'potential exfiltration)',
'number_of_records_exposed': 25202,
'personally_identifiable_information': True,
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Personally Identifiable '
'Information - PII)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Social Security numbers',
"driver's license numbers"]},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-04-10',
'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported that the '
"St. Lucie County Tax Collector's Office experienced an "
'external system breach (hacking) affecting a total of 25,202 '
'individuals, including 22 Maine residents. The breach '
'involved unauthorized access to Social Security numbers and '
"driver's license numbers. Written notifications were sent on "
'April 10, 2024, and affected individuals are offered 12 '
'months of identity theft protection services through '
'TransUnion.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential negative impact due to '
'exposure of sensitive personal data',
'data_compromised': ['Social Security numbers',
"driver's license numbers"],
'identity_theft_risk': "High (due to exposure of SSNs and driver's "
'license numbers)',
'systems_affected': ['External system']},
'initial_access_broker': {'high_value_targets': ['Social Security numbers',
"driver's license numbers"]},
'references': [{'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Maine Office of the '
'Attorney General '
'notified (as per '
'breach disclosure)'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Written notifications sent to '
'affected individuals on April 10, '
'2024',
'recovery_measures': 'Offered 12 months of identity theft '
'protection services to affected '
'individuals',
'third_party_assistance': 'TransUnion (identity theft protection '
'services)'},
'title': "St. Lucie County Tax Collector's Office External System Breach",
'type': 'Data Breach'}