TaxSlayer

The California Office of the Attorney General disclosed that TaxSlayer, a tax preparation service provider, suffered a data breach between **October 10, 2015, and December 21, 2015**, where an unauthorized third party gained access to user accounts. The incident exposed sensitive personal information, including **names, addresses, and Social Security numbers (SSNs)** of affected users. The breach was officially reported on **January 29, 2016**, though the exact number of impacted individuals was not specified in the announcement. The compromised data poses significant risks, such as identity theft, financial fraud, and long-term reputational harm to the company. Given the nature of the exposed information—particularly SSNs—victims may face prolonged vulnerabilities, including tax-related fraud and unauthorized credit applications. TaxSlayer likely faced regulatory scrutiny and potential legal repercussions due to the failure to protect customer data during the prolonged exposure period.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-59859

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

"id": "tax1008091725",
"linkid": "taxslayerllc",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "10/2015",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Tax Preparation Software',
                        'location': 'United States (primarily California users '
                                    'reported)',
                        'name': 'TaxSlayer',
                        'type': 'Company'}],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Possible',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['names',
                                                         'addresses',
                                                         'Social Security '
                                                         'numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personal Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)']},
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2016-01-29',
 'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported that '
                'TaxSlayer experienced a data breach in which an unauthorized '
                'third party may have accessed user accounts between October '
                '10, 2015, and December 21, 2015. The breach potentially '
                "compromised users' personal information, including names, "
                'addresses, and Social Security numbers.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['names',
                                 'addresses',
                                 'Social Security numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs compromised)'},
 'references': [{'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'California Office of '
                                                       'the Attorney General'},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public disclosure via California '
                                        'Office of the Attorney General'},
 'threat_actor': 'Unauthorized third party',
 'title': 'TaxSlayer Data Breach (2015)',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}