The California Office of the Attorney General disclosed a data breach affecting The Freeman Company in February 2014. The incident, dated January 20, 2014, stemmed from a mail processing error that led to the incorrect mailing of W-2 forms. This exposed sensitive employee data, including names, addresses, wages, and Social Security numbers. While the breach was attributed to a procedural failure rather than a targeted cyber intrusion, the exposure of personally identifiable information (PII) and financial details posed significant risks, such as identity theft or fraud. The number of affected employees was reported to be very small, mitigating the scale but not the severity of the data compromise. The breach underscored vulnerabilities in internal handling processes, particularly in safeguarding employee records during physical or administrative transfers. No evidence suggested malicious external actors, but the unintentional disclosure of tax-related documents highlighted gaps in data protection protocols for sensitive workforce information.
Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-44098
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/the-freeman-company
"id": "the441090725",
"linkid": "the-freeman-company",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "1/2014",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Event Management / Exhibition Services',
'location': 'California, USA',
'name': 'The Freeman Company',
'type': 'Private Company'}],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'No (physical mailing error, not digital '
'exfiltration)',
'file_types_exposed': ['W-2 forms (physical documents)'],
'number_of_records_exposed': 'Very small (exact number '
'undisclosed)',
'personally_identifiable_information': ['names',
'addresses',
'social security '
'numbers',
'wages'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (includes SSNs and financial '
'data)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
'Information (PII)',
'Tax Information (W-2 forms)']},
'date_detected': '2014-01-20',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2014-02-10',
'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
'breach involving The Freeman Company on February 10, 2014. '
'The breach occurred on January 20, 2014, due to a mail '
'processing error, which resulted in the incorrect mailing of '
'W-2 forms. This potentially exposed employee names, '
'addresses, wages, and social security numbers. The number of '
'affected employees is believed to be very small.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential (due to exposure of '
'sensitive employee data)',
'data_compromised': ['employee names',
'addresses',
'wages',
'social security numbers'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (due to exposure of SSNs)'},
'investigation_status': 'Disclosed; no further details provided',
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Human error in mail processing '
'leading to misdirected W-2 forms'},
'references': [{'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulations_violated': ['Potential violation of '
'California data breach '
'notification laws (e.g., '
'California Civil Code ยง '
'1798.82)'],
'regulatory_notifications': ['Reported to '
'California Office of '
'the Attorney '
'General']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public disclosure via California '
'Office of the Attorney General'},
'title': 'The Freeman Company Data Breach (2014) - Incorrect W-2 Form Mailing',
'type': 'Data Breach (Human Error - Mail Processing)'}