Cyber Incident Victim: Next Level Apparel
Date:
Feb 2021
Location:
United States of America
Summary
A US clothing manufacturer experienced a data breach after phishing attacks compromised several employee email accounts, enabling unauthorized access to sensitive customer information. Exposed data potentially included names alongside Social Security numbers, financial account details, payment card numbers, driver’s license information, and limited medical records. The company notified affected individuals via mail, established a dedicated call center, and implemented enhanced email security protocols alongside staff re-education to mitigate future risks. While confirming the breach, the organization could not verify whether unauthorized parties actually viewed specific personal data.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
Next Level Apparel, a Los Angeles-based clothing manufacturer and e-commerce operator, disclosed a data breach on October 5, 2021, stemming from compromised employee email accounts. Between February 17, 2021, and April 28, 2021, attackers gained access to a limited number of employee mailboxes through phishing campaigns, enabling unauthorized access to the contents of those accounts over the two-and-a-half-month period. The compromised email accounts contained sensitive customer information, including names paired with Social Security numbers, financial or checking account numbers, payment card numbers, driver’s license numbers, and limited medical or health information. The company stated it could not confirm whether unauthorized actors actually viewed any individual’s specific data during the breach window. Next Level Apparel, which operates as a wholesale producer and online retailer of blank apparel, did not publicly specify the number of affected customers or employees in its initial disclosure. The breach was internally detected by an unspecified date prior to the October 5 notification, prompting an investigation into the email account compromises.
In response to the incident, Next Level Apparel initiated customer notifications via mailed letters to individuals for whom they had address information, beginning shortly before the public disclosure. The company established a dedicated call center to address inquiries from concerned customers and published a breach alert on its website on October 4, 2021, advising potentially affected individuals on fraud and identity theft protection measures. To prevent recurrence, the organization implemented additional email security measures and conducted staff re-education programs to improve awareness of phishing threats. These steps supplemented existing security protocols, though specific technical enhancements were not detailed in the public statement. The breach exposed vulnerabilities in employee email security but did not reportedly affect core e-commerce systems or production infrastructure. Next Level Apparel’s disclosure timeline showed a five-month gap between the conclusion of the breach period in April and customer notifications in October, though the investigation duration and remediation efforts during this interval were not elaborated. The company maintained operations throughout the incident response period while continuing its wholesale and retail services.