The Maine Office of the Attorney General disclosed a data breach affecting The Baker Company, Inc. on May 5, 2022, after detecting unauthorized access to an employee’s email account on April 6, 2022. The incident resulted in the exposure of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) belonging to two Maine residents, raising concerns over potential identity theft risks. In response, the company provided 12 months of free identity theft protection services via TransUnion to the affected individuals. The breach stemmed from a phishing or credential-compromise attack, granting threat actors access to sensitive employee communications. While the scope appears limited to two individuals, the exposure of SSNs a high-value target for fraud poses long-term risks, including financial fraud, tax fraud, or unauthorized account openings. The company’s proactive offering of credit monitoring suggests an acknowledgment of the severity, though the breach highlights vulnerabilities in email security protocols and employee cybersecurity awareness. No evidence suggests broader systemic compromise, ransomware involvement, or large-scale customer data exposure. However, the incident underscores the persistent threat of targeted email attacks and the critical need for robust multi-factor authentication (MFA) and employee training to mitigate similar risks in the future.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/the-baker-company
"id": "the730082025",
"linkid": "the-baker-company",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "4/2022",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 2,
'location': {'country': 'United States',
'state': 'Maine'},
'name': 'The Baker Company, Inc.',
'type': 'Private Company'}],
'attack_vector': 'Compromised Employee Email Account',
'customer_advisories': {'duration': '12 months',
'identity_theft_protection_offered': True,
'provider': 'TransUnion'},
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 2,
'personally_identifiable_information': True,
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Personally Identifiable '
'Information - PII)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers '
'(SSNs)']},
'date_detected': '2022-04-06',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2022-05-05',
'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
'breach involving The Baker Company, Inc. The breach was due '
"to unauthorized access to an employee's email account, "
'compromising the Social Security Numbers of two Maine '
'residents. Identity theft protection services (12 months via '
'TransUnion) were offered to affected individuals.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs exposed)',
'systems_affected': ['Employee Email Account']},
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2022-05-05',
'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Maine Office of the '
'Attorney General']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': {'affected_individuals_notified': True,
'public_disclosure': 'Maine Office of '
'the Attorney '
'General',
'services_offered': '12 months of '
'identity theft '
'protection via '
'TransUnion'},
'third_party_assistance': ['TransUnion (Identity Theft '
'Protection Services)']},
'title': 'Data Breach at The Baker Company, Inc. via Unauthorized Email '
'Access',
'type': 'Data Breach (Unauthorized Access)'}