HackingProfessional ServicesProfessional ServicesCustomer Data InvolvedEmployee Data InvolvedIdentity (basic)Government IDFinancial accountEmploymentMinorMediumContained

Sadd Velazquez Higashi Shammaa, LLP

bd_68ebc603de264356 · schema v1 · pii pii-v1

Severity

Medium

Discovered

May 1, 2017

Filed

Jun 20, 2017

To disclose

7 weeks

Affected

Not disclosed

Linked

3 filings

Confidence

64%

Full breach record for Sadd Velazquez Higashi Shammaa, LLP →

Sadd Velazquez Higashi Shammaa, LLP experienced unauthorized access to its tax program systems between May 1 and May 3, 2017. The firm detected suspicious electronic activity while filing returns on extension and immediately disabled remote access. A forensic investigation confirmed unauthorized access but found no evidence that specific information was accessed, though the possibility was not ruled out. Affected data may include names, addresses, Social Security numbers, employment information (W-2s, 1099s), and bank account details for partners, shareholders, beneficiaries, and minors. The firm notified the FBI, IRS, Franchise Tax Board, and law enforcement, and offered one year of complimentary credit monitoring via Equifax.

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California clockDiscovered May 1, 2017 → Notified Jun 15, 201745d ✓ CA 60-day OK7 weeks discovery → filing

Incident timeline

discovery → filing · 7 weeks / 50 days

May 1, 2017

Begins

May 1, 2017

Discovered

Jun 20, 2017

Filed

vs. sector median

11 wks faster

This filing is one of 3 about the same incident.View merged incident

Linked disclosures

Why this link?

Regulatory filings (2) · sorted by filing gap

Massachusetts State AGbd_200d1b6281d41afe2017-06-15 · +5dVerified
New Hampshire State AGbd_72aff1b83faa89ab2017-06-15 · +5dVerified

Name: Sadd Velazquez Higashi Shammaa, LLP
norm: sadd velazquez higashi shammaa

Name: Sadd Velazquez Higashi Shammaa, LLP
norm: sadd velazquez higashi shammaa
Industry: Professional Servicesllm

Discovered: May 1, 2017
Breach occurred: May 1, 2017 – May 3, 2017
Undetected for: 0 daysoccurrence → discovery
Materiality determined: —
Notification sent: Jun 15, 2017
Affected individuals: Not disclosed
Data types: Identity (basic)Government IDFinancial accountEmploymentMinor
Data elements: Social Security numberDate of birth
Attack vector: Unauthorized Access
MITRE ATT&CK: T1078 Valid Accounts
Threat actor: External
Regulator citations: Notified the IRSNotified the California Franchise Tax BoardNotified the FBINotified local law enforcementNotifying all applicable state agencies

During the incident: Disabled remote access
Notified the IRS and Franchise Tax Board
Notified local law enforcement
Hired a specialized forensic IT firm for additional investigation
Notified the FBI
Notified all three credit bureaus
Notifying all applicable state agencies
Offering Equifax Credit Watch Gold identity theft protection for one year at no charge
Offering Equifax Child Identity Monitoring for minors
Changes made: Reviewing office policies and procedures to ensure all security measures are taken to avoid such an incident from occurring again
Source: Quoted from the filing itself, not independently verified.

Time to disclose: 7 weeks(50 days from discovery to filing)
Compliance flags: CA 60-day OK · 45d
Discovery-date grounding: letter-groundedThe discovery date is the detection date narrated in the notification letter — the defensible tier.
Clock breakdown: Statute Window Elapsed Threshold Status
California
Discovered: May 1, 2017
→ Notified: Jun 15, 2017
45d 60 days (analyst band, pre-2026 discoveries) CA 60-day OK

Statute	Window	Elapsed	Threshold	Status
California	Discovered: May 1, 2017 → Notified: Jun 15, 2017	45d	60 days (analyst band, pre-2026 discoveries)	CA 60-day OK

Status: No extraction artifact recorded for this disclosure.

Filing propagation · 3 filings · 3 states

View merged incident ↗

Massachusetts State AGJun 15 · first

New Hampshire State AGJun 15 · first

California State AG+5d · this page

Pattern: first filing Jun 15 (MA), last Jun 20 (CA) — a 5-day rolling notification. Rolling spreads often mean counsel is filing as thresholds trip per state. Why this link?

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://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-99016
DisclosureLens links to the originating regulator URL — full filing bodies are not redistributed from public surfaces (§4.5).
Filed at: Jun 20, 2017
Raw hash: 65f7039bae0b26d275037489b5cc2cd95a8e7e95763233e13d721f33a64a00f5

Linked disclosures

Regulatory filings (2) · sorted by filing gap

Reporting entitySadd Velazquez Higashi Shammaa, LLP

Victim entitySadd Velazquez Higashi Shammaa, LLP

Incidentdiscovered May 1, 2017

Stated responseDisabled remote access

ComplianceCA 60-day OK

Extraction provenanceno artifact recorded

Source provenanceoag.ca.gov