Cyber Incident Victim: Veyna & Forschino
Date:
Nov 2017
Location:
United States of America
Summary
Veyna & Forschino experienced unauthorized access to a company workstation via a remote desktop application, compromising one email account, electronic files, and a tax preparation software folder. The breach exposed sensitive personal and financial data, including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employment details, bank account information, and tax documents, with varying impacts on affected individuals. The firm engaged forensic investigators, notified credit bureaus, law enforcement, and state agencies, and offered complimentary credit monitoring to potentially impacted parties while reviewing internal security protocols.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 3 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On November 27, 2017, Veyna & Forschino (V&F) detected suspicious activity within a single company email account, prompting immediate investigation. The firm engaged its local IT provider to disable access to the compromised account and retained a specialized third-party forensic IT firm to conduct a detailed analysis. The forensic investigation concluded on December 8, 2017, revealing unauthorized access to one company computer workstation via a remote desktop application between November 6 and November 24, 2017. Attackers accessed not only the email account but also specific electronic files and the firm’s 2016 tax preparation software folder. Exposed data included individuals’ names, dates of birth, telephone numbers, addresses, Social Security numbers, employment information (W-2 forms), 1099 forms with account numbers (where provided), and direct deposit bank account details including routing and account numbers. The scope of impact varied per individual, with no evidence suggesting all data types were uniformly compromised across all affected parties.
V&F initiated notifications to potentially impacted individuals via written notices and established a toll-free inquiry line (1-800-939-4170) and a dedicated mailing address (4880 Stevens Creek Blvd., #200, San Jose, CA 95129) for unresolved concerns. The firm reported the incident to all three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), law enforcement, and relevant state agencies. Affected individuals were offered one year of complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft insurance. V&F emphasized reviewing personal credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com and outlined steps for fraud alerts, credit freezes, and identity theft reporting via the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov portal. Internally, the firm initiated a review of its security policies and procedures to strengthen safeguards against future incidents, though no specific technical or procedural gaps were publicly disclosed in the notification.