Complete Payroll Solutions notifies 22K+ people of 2023 data breach that leaked SSNs
Complete Payroll Solutions this week confirmed it notified at least 22,000 people of an October 2023 data breach that compromised Social Security numbers, financial account info, and driver’s licenses.
The company first notified 320 people shortly after the breach occurred. Now a year and a half later, the number of victims has ballooned to more than 22,000. New Hampshire’s attorney general says the company notified (PDF) 21,963 people in the state, and Montana’s attorney general says it notified 40 more there. Maine and Massachusetts (PDF) report eight and 214 of their residents were notified, respectively, but those figures could update soon. We expect the total number of victims to rise as more states to disclose their own breach figures in the coming days.
Ransomware gang Meow claimed responsibility for the breach, saying it stole 3 GB of data from Complete Payroll Solutions. To prove its claim, the group posted sample images of what it says are documents stolen from CPS. Meow says it stole employee data, client info, scanned payment documents, personal data, tax documents, payment records, and more.
Complete Payroll Solutions has not verified Meow’s claim. We do not know if the company paid a ransom, how much Meow demanded, or how attackers breached CPS’ network. Comparitech contacted Complete Payroll Solutions for comment and will update this article if it replies.
CPS is offering eligible victims free credit monitoring through Kroll.
Who is Meow?
Meow is a ransomware gang that first started claiming attacks in November 2023. Its ransomware builds upon Conti, an older strain. Meow steals data and holds it for ransom, but it might not encrypt files. Data theft and extortion without encryption is an increasingly popular trend among ransomware gangs.
Meow has claimed 19 confirmed ransomware attacks since it began, compromising more than 170,000 records. It made another 124 unconfirmed claims that haven’t been acknowledged by the targeted organizations. Meow’s average ransom demand is $112,000.
In another recently-confirmed Meow attack, Westwood Country Club notified 3,203 people of an October 2024 data reach for which Meow demanded $50,000 in ransom.
Ransomware attacks on US finance
Ransomware attacks on US finance companies can lock down computer systems and steal data. If a ransom isn’t paid, attacked businesses face extended downtime, data loss, and putting customers at increased risk of fraud.
In 2024, Comparitech researchers logged 66 confirmed ransomware attacks on US finance companies, compromising more than 38.5 million records. In 2025 to date, we’ve tracked six such attacks affecting 78,300 records.
Other recently confirmed attacks on US finance companies include:
- US Claims Capital notified 25,722 people of a January 2025 attack claimed by LeakedData
- Caputo & Company notified 674 people of a March 2025 data breach claimed by Akira
About Complete Payroll Solutions
Founded in 2003 and based in Springfield, Massachusetts, Complete Payroll Solutions sells human resource, benefits, and payroll services to businesses. According to its website, it serves more than 10,000 clients and employs more than 175 people.
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