Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd. Provides Notice Of Data Privacy Incident

CHICAGO, Nov. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd. ("HSPRD") is providing notice of a recent incident that may affect the security information pertaining to individuals, including current and former clients as well as other third parties associated with HSPRD litigation and legal matters.  The confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in our care is one of HSPRD's highest priorities and HSPRD takes this incident very seriously.  To date, HSPRD has not received any reports of actual or attempted misuse of the impacted information.

What Happened?  On September 13, 2020, certain HSPRD systems became infected with a virus that prohibited access to certain files and systems.  Upon discovery, HSPRD immediately commenced an investigation, which included working with third-party IT and forensic investigators, to determine the full nature and scope of the incident and to secure the HSPRD network.  Through this investigation, HSPRD determined that an unauthorized actor had placed malware within the HSPRD environment that disrupted the operation of certain HSPRD systems.  On or about September 28, 2020, HSPRD's investigation further determined that the unauthorized actor had gained access to certain HSPRD systems between August 28, 2020 and September 14, 2020.  As a result, the unauthorized actor may have had access to certain files within these systems.

What Information Was Involved?  While the investigation was able to determine these systems were accessed, HSPRD was unable to determine all of the sensitive information that was actually accessed or acquired by the unauthorized actor.  Therefore, in an abundance of caution, HSPRD is providing notice of this incident and conducting a review of the contents of the impacted systems that may contain sensitive information.  Although this review is still in progress, HSPRD is providing notice because the investigation confirmed that the following types of information may have been present in the affected systems at the time of the incident: name, date of birth, Social Security number, financial account information, medical/diagnosis/treatment information, and/or government issued identification numbers.

What Are We Doing?  When HSPRD discovered this incident, HSPRD immediately launched an investigation and took steps to secure its systems and determine what personal data was at risk.  As part of HSPRD's ongoing commitment to the security of information in its care, we are working to review existing policies and procedures, to implement additional safeguards, and to provide additional training to our employees on data privacy and security. HSPRD will also be notifying certain individuals directly as well as state and federal regulators, as required.

For More Information. You may have questions about this incident that are not addressed in this letter. If you have additional questions and you believe you may have been impacted by this incident, please call HSPRD's dedicated assistance line at 1-855-914-4642 between the hours of 9am and 9pm, Monday through Friday, excluding major U.S. holidays.  You may also write to HSPRD at 70 W. Madison Street, Suite 4000, Chicago, Illinois 60602 or visit HSPRD's website at www.hsplegal.com.

What You Can Do.  HSPRD sincerely regrets any inconvenience this incident may have caused individuals impacted as a result of this incident.  HSPRD encourages any impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review their account statements, and to monitor their credit reports for suspicious activity. Under U.S. law, individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.

Individuals have the right to place a "security freeze" on their credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in their credit report without their express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in their name without their consent. However, individuals should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, individuals cannot be charged to place or lift a security freeze on their credit report. Should and individual wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below:

In order to request a security freeze, individuals will need to provide the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Information if they have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where you have lived over the prior five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, military identification, etc.);
7. If the individual is a victim of identity theft, include a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft.

As an alternative to a security freeze, individuals have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on their file at no cost.  An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years.  Should an individual wish to place a fraud alert, they should contact any one of the agencies listed below:

Additional Information

Individuals can further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps they can take to protect themself by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state Attorney General. 

The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Individuals can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Individuals have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, individuals will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and an individual's state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.      

For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, 1-410-528-8662, www.oag.state.md.us.   

For New Mexico residents, you have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit "prescreened" offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from violator. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001, 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000, www.ncdoj.gov. You can obtain information from the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission about preventing identity theft.

For New York residents, the Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; https://ag.ny.gov/.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General can be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903; www.riag.ri.gov, 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident. There is an unknown amount of Rhode Island residents impacted by this incident.

For Washington, D.C. residents, the Office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia can be reached at: 441 4^th Street NW, Suite 1100 South, Washington, D.C. 20001; 1-202-442-9828; https://oag.dc.gov.

SOURCE Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd.