HackingProfessional ServicesProfessional ServicesStolen CredentialsData ExfiltratedCustomer Data InvolvedIdentity (basic)Government IDFinancial accountPIIMediumContained

Gonzales & Associates, Inc

bd_12a2a41b0c0eccc3 · schema v1 · pii pii-v1

Severity

Medium

Discovered

Jul 14, 2023

Filed

Oct 13, 2023

To disclose

13 weeks

Affected

3state residents only

Confidence

66%

Full breach record for Gonzales & Associates, Inc →

Gonzales & Associates, Inc notified Montana residents of a data breach involving its third-party file-sharing provider, SmartVault. On July 14, 2023, the firm learned an employee account was accessed by an unauthorized user who downloaded sensitive client information including names, SSNs, and financial account details. The firm engaged forensic experts, enhanced security controls (MFA, password resets), and offered 12 months of credit monitoring.

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Incident timeline

discovery → filing · 13 weeks / 91 days

Jul 14, 2023

Discovered

Oct 13, 2023

Filed

vs. sector median

6 wks faster

Tracked as a single-filing incident — the only disclosure on record for this event so far.Confirmed3 affectedView incident

Name: Gonzales & Associates, Inc
norm: gonzales associates

Name: Gonzales & Associates, Inc
norm: gonzales associates
Industry: Professional Servicesllm

Discovered: Jul 14, 2023
Materiality determined: —
Notification sent: Oct 13, 2023
Affected individuals: 3state-resident count only
Data types: Identity (basic)Government IDFinancial accountPII
Data elements: Social Security number
Attack vector: Third-Party / Supply Chain
MITRE ATT&CK: T1078 Valid AccountsT1041 Exfiltration Over C2 Channel
Threat actor: ExternalFinancial
Regulator citations: Working with the IRS and State tax agencies to prevent fraudulent tax filings on behalf of our clients
Third party: via SmartVault
Initial access: valid_credentials

During the incident: Instituted corrective measures to ensure that any unauthorized access to SmartVault was terminated
Engaged a forensic IT expert to determine the information that was downloaded
Implemented immediate enhancements to systems, security, and practices to prevent unauthorized access in the future
Changed all passwords
Implemented two-step authentication for online system access
Engaged experts to assist in conducting a full review of security practices and systems
Provided access to Triple Bureau Credit Monitoring/Triple Bureau Credit Report/Triple Bureau Credit Score services at no charge
Provided proactive fraud assistance through Cyberscout through Identity Force
Working with the IRS and State tax agencies to prevent fraudulent tax filings
Changes made: Implemented immediate enhancements to systems, security, and practices to prevent unauthorized access in the future
Changed all passwords
Implemented two-step authentication for online system access
Engaged experts to assist in conducting a full review of security practices and systems to ensure that appropriate security protocols, including network firewalls, are in place and properly functioning going forward
Source: Quoted from the filing itself, not independently verified.

Time to disclose: 13 weeks(91 days from discovery to filing)
Compliance flags: — (clock not assessable for this source)

Status: No extraction artifact recorded for this disclosure.

Evidence ladder

Leak-site claim

Attacker assertion only. Establishes: claim date, group, alleged victim.

Press / market report

Unlocks: incident narrative, operational impact. Still no compliance clock.

State AG / regulator filingThis record

Unlocks: discovery date, data types, affected count, compliance clock.

SEC 8-K / victim statement

Unlocks: materiality, stated response, full audit trail. Ceiling removed.

Source URL: https://dojmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/OCP/Consumer-notification-letter-767.pdf
DisclosureLens links to the originating regulator URL — full filing bodies are not redistributed from public surfaces (§4.5).
Filed at: Oct 13, 2023
Raw hash: 3429ae505c27b9f7e7ba90cbb8e9423aacdefcd6930ac750242f2f959031ad2d

Reporting entityGonzales & Associates, Inc

Victim entityGonzales & Associates, Inc

Incidentdiscovered Jul 14, 2023

Stated responseInstituted corrective measures to ensure that any unauthorized access to SmartVault was terminated

Complianceclock not assessable

Extraction provenanceno artifact recorded

Source provenancedojmt.gov