Headhunting firm Find Great People notifies 12K people of data breach that compromised SSNs

Headhunting firm Find Great People this week confirmed it notified 12,205 people about a July 2024 data breach that compromised names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, passports, dates of birth, and addresses.

Ransomware gang Akira claimed responsibility for the attack on July 31, 2024, saying it stole 32 GB of data including confidentiality agreements, client data, and employment documents.

Find Great People has not verified Akira’s claim. We dot not yet know whether FGP paid a ransom, how much Akira demanded, or how attackers breached FGP’s network. Comparitech contacted FGP for comment and will update this article if it responds.

The notice states, “During its review, the forensic investigation concluded on or about September 13, 2024, and found that an unauthorized actor accessed FGP’s system from July 2, 2024, to July 19, 2024, and some of FGP’s files were accessed or obtained without authority.”

FGP is offering victims free credit monitoring via CyberScout. Victims must enroll before the end of the year if they want to take advantage of it.

Who is Akira?

Akira is a ransomware gang that first emerged in March 2023. Its targets span education, finance, manufacturing, real estate, and healthcare. It often extorts victims twice: once in exchange for a decryption key to restore systems, and again in exchange for not selling or publicly releasing stolen confidential data.

In 2024 so far, Comparitech researchers recorded 33 confirmed ransomware attacks claimed by Akira, compared to 56 in all of 2023.

Two companies admitted to paying Akira a ransom: Shook Lin & Bok ($1.4 million) and Black Press Hawaii ($150,000).

Recently confirmed Akira attacks include those on siParadigm, Rothoblaas, and Emperon Constar.

Akira claimed another 143 unconfirmed ransomware attacks in 2024 that have not been acknowledged by victims.

About Find Great People

Founded in 1982, Find Great People is a headhunting and human resources consulting firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. According to its website, it places more than 1,300 people in jobs per year.