HackingProfessional ServicesProfessional ServicesStolen CredentialsCustomer Data InvolvedData ExfiltratedIdentity (basic)Government IDFinancial accountMediumContained

Scott R. Bell, CPA, PLLC

bd_cfc7930a81576b97 · schema v1 · pii pii-v1

Severity

Medium

Discovered

Sep 8, 2020

Filed

Nov 19, 2020

To disclose

10 weeks

Affected

1state residents only

Linked

4 filings

Confidence

65%

Full breach record for Scott R. Bell, CPA, PLLC →

Scott R. Bell, CPA, PLLC disclosed unauthorized access to its tax filing software between April 26-28, 2020. The incident involved the use of stolen credentials to submit fraudulent tax returns. Affected data included names, addresses, SSNs, DOBs, and financial account information. The firm engaged forensic specialists and notified the FBI and IRS.

J jump to incidentP pin to compareR raw source

Incident timeline

undetected · 135 days

discovery → filing · 10 weeks / 72 days

Apr 26, 2020

Begins

Sep 8, 2020

Discovered

Nov 19, 2020

Filed

vs. sector median

7 wks faster

This filing is one of 4 about the same incident.View merged incident

Linked disclosures

Why this link?

Regulatory filings (3) · sorted by filing gap

Indiana State AGbd_b3bd3df5f7cc43112020-11-19Verified
Massachusetts State AGbd_be34b4eaa7ddbe562020-11-19Verified
New Hampshire State AGbd_01ce85cfa36277bf2020-11-23 · +4dVerified

Name: Scott R. Bell, CPA, PLLC
norm: scott r bell cpa

Name: Scott R. Bell, CPA, PLLC
norm: scott r bell cpa
Industry: Professional Servicesllm

Discovered: Sep 8, 2020
Breach occurred: Apr 26, 2020 – Apr 28, 2020
Undetected for: 135 daysoccurrence → discovery
Materiality determined: —
Notification sent: Nov 19, 2020
Affected individuals: 1state-resident count only
Data types: Identity (basic)Government IDFinancial account
Data elements: Social Security numberDate of birth
Attack vector: Unauthorized Access
MITRE ATT&CK: T1078 Valid AccountsT1114 Email Collection
Threat actor: ExternalFinancial
Regulator citations: Contacted the IRSContacted the Federal Bureau of InvestigationNotifying the relevant state Attorneys General or state regulators
Initial access: valid_credentials

During the incident: Initiated investigation with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists
Contacted the IRS
Contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Offering twelve (12) months of credit monitoring and identity restoration services through Experian
Changes made: Working to implement additional safeguards regarding the privacy and security of information on our systems
Source: Quoted from the filing itself, not independently verified.

Time to disclose: 10 weeks(72 days from discovery to filing)
Compliance flags: — (clock not assessable for this source)

Status: No extraction artifact recorded for this disclosure.

Filing propagation · 4 filings · 4 states

View merged incident ↗

Indiana State AGNov 19 · first

Massachusetts State AGNov 19 · first

Montana State AGNov 19 · first · this page

New Hampshire State AG+4d

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/scottbellSamp.pdf
DisclosureLens links to the originating regulator URL — full filing bodies are not redistributed from public surfaces (§4.5).
Filed at: Nov 19, 2020
Raw hash: cc9228a81155acc8a2bdda828785de31e79f8201d58d8a8a1937d6382eb578d6

Linked disclosures

Regulatory filings (3) · sorted by filing gap

Reporting entityScott R. Bell, CPA, PLLC

Victim entityScott R. Bell, CPA, PLLC

Incidentdiscovered Sep 8, 2020

Stated responseInitiated investigation with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists

Complianceclock not assessable

Extraction provenanceno artifact recorded

Source provenancedojmt.gov