US Law Firm Reports Data Breach Affecting 3.5 Million People

US law firm Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP ("Wolf Haldenstein") has disclosed a serious data breach that exposed the personal information of approximately 3.5 million individuals.

According to a notice published by the legal service provider on Jan. 10, the incident occurred more than a year ago, and an investigation was reportedly completed on Dec. 3, 2024.

“On December 13, 2023, Wolf Haldenstein detected suspicious activity in its network environment” the notice reads. “Upon discovery of this incident, Wolf Haldenstein promptly took steps to secure its network and engaged a specialized cybersecurity firm to investigate the nature and scope of the incident. As a result of the investigation, Wolf Haldenstein learned that an unauthorized actor accessed certain files and data stored within its network.”

What Information Was Exposed?

While Wolf Haldenstein has not clarified whether the breached data belongs to clients, employees, or other individuals, potentially impacted information includes:

• Full names
• Social Security numbers (SSN)
• Employee identification numbers
• Medical diagnoses
• Medical claim information

Wolf Haldenstein admits it has not yet been able to locate contact information for many affected individuals, delaying the distribution of notification letters. The firm also cited "data analysis and digital forensic complications" as primary reasons for the delay in identifying and notifying impacted individuals.

To this date, there is no evidence the exposed data has been misused. However, the firm has acknowledged the serious risks to impacted individuals, with the exposure of this sensitive information increasing the likelihood of phishing, identity theft, social engineering, and other targeted attacks.

Due to the security incident and unauthorized access to sensitive data on the company servers, the company is offering complimentary credit monitoring services to individuals who believe they were impacted.

Additionally, potentially impacted individuals should:

• Be wary of unsolicited communications
• Monitor their accounts for suspicious activity
• Consider placing a fraud alert or security freeze on their credit files

For those concerned about their exposure, Wolf Haldenstein recommends contacting the firm directly to determine whether their data was involved in the breach.

Want to find out whether your personal, financial or health data has been part of a data breach?

Use Bitdefender’s Digital Identity Protection for:

- Instant Alerts: You can immediately react to data breaches and privacy threats, and take actions such as changing passwords, via one-click action items.

- Real-time monitoring: The service continuously scans the internet and dark web for your personal information. You will receive alerts whenever your data is involved in a breach or leak.

- Peace of mind: This service immediately flags suspicious activity and actively monitors personal information for peace of mind.

- A 360° view of all your personal data: See your digital footprint, including traces from services you no longer use but that still have your data, and even send requests for data removal from service providers.