Recently, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP confirmed that the law firm experienced a data security incident resulting in the sensitive information of certain employees being compromised.

If you received a data breach notification, it is essential you understand what is at risk. More about our investigation into this breach, and what you can do if your data was stolen, is available here.

Last year, 1,862 data breaches affected more than 189 million people. On average, victims of identity theft spend 200 hours and over $1,300 recovering their identity. Many victims also suffer emotional distress, credit damage, and may even end up with a criminal record. Taking immediate action is the best way to prevent the worst consequences of a data breach.

What We Know So Far About the Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis Data Breach

According to an official filing by the company, on November 25, 2021, the company first noticed that its IT systems were not functioning as normal. The company began an investigation of the incident and, on December 5, 2021, confirmed that an unauthorized party removed certain files from the firm’s computer system between the dates of November 15, 2021 and November 18, 2021.

Upon learning of the extent of the security breach, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis then reviewed the affected files to determine what information was compromised. While the compromised information varies by employee, it may include your name, Social Security number, driver’s license number, passport number, financial account number and health insurance information.

On March 16, 2021, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.

Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP is a law firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. The firm is known for its healthcare law practice, as well as corporate law, employment law, real estate, bankruptcy and intellectual property practices. The firm has five offices located in Nashville, TN; Austin, TX; Birmingham, AL; Chattanooga, TN; and Memphis, TN. Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis currently has approximately 450 employees and generates roughly $76 million in annual revenue.

More About the Causes and Risks of Data Breaches

Often, data breaches are the result of a hacker gaining unauthorized access to a company’s computer systems with the intention of obtaining sensitive employee information. While no one can know the reason why a hacker targeted Waller, it is common for hackers and other criminals to identify those companies believed to have weak data security systems or vulnerabilities in their networks.

Once a cybercriminal gains access to a computer network, they can then access and remove any data stored on the compromised servers. While in most cases a company experiencing a data breach can identify which files were accessible, there may be no way for the company to tell which files the hacker actually accessed or whether they removed any data.

While the fact that your information was compromised in a data breach does not necessarily mean it will be used for criminal purposes, being the victim of a data breach puts your sensitive data in the hands of an unauthorized person. As a result, you are at an increased risk of identity theft and other frauds, and criminal use of your information is a possibility that should not be ignored.

Given this reality, employees who receive a Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis data breach notification should take the situation seriously and remain vigilant in checking for any signs of unauthorized activity. Businesses like Waller are responsible for protecting the employee data in their possession. If evidence emerges that Waller failed to adequately protect your sensitive information, you may be eligible for financial compensation through a data breach lawsuit.

What Are Employees’ Remedies in the Wake of the Waller Data Breach?

When employees decided to work at Waller, they assumed that the company would take their privacy concerns seriously. And it goes without saying that employees would think twice before giving a company access to their information if they knew it wasn’t going to be secure. Thus, data breaches such as this one raise questions about the adequacy of a company’s data security system.

When a business, government entity, non-profit organization, school, or any other organization accepts and stores employee data, it also accepts a legal obligation to ensure this information remains private. The United States data breach laws allow employees to pursue civil data breach claims against organizations that fail to protect their information.

Of course, given the recency of the Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis data breach, the investigation into the incident is still in its early stages. And, as of right now, there is not yet any evidence suggesting Waller is legally responsible for the breach. However, that could change as additional information about the breach and its causes is revealed.

If you have questions about your ability to bring a data breach class action lawsuit against Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, reach out to a data breach attorney as soon as possible.

What Should You Do if You Receive a Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis Data Breach Notification?

If Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis sends you a data breach notification letter, you are among those whose information was compromised in the recent breach. While this isn’t a time to panic, the situation warrants your attention. Below are a few important steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft and other fraudulent activity:

1. Identify What Information Was Compromised: The first thing to do after learning of a data breach is to carefully review the data breach letter sent. The letter will tell you what information of yours was accessible to the unauthorized party. Be sure to make a copy of the letter and keep it for your records. If you have trouble understanding the letter or what steps you can take to protect yourself, a data breach lawyer can help.

2. Limit Future Access to Your Accounts: Once you determine what information of yours was affected by the breach, the safest play is to assume that the hacker orchestrating the attack stole your data. While this may not be the case, it’s better to be safe than sorry. To prevent future access to your accounts, you should change all passwords and security questions for any online account. This includes online banking accounts, credit card accounts, online shopping accounts, and any other account containing your personal information. You should also consider changing your social media account passwords and setting up multi-factor authentication where it is available.

3. Protect Your Credit and Your Financial Accounts: After a data breach, companies often provide affected parties with free credit monitoring services. Signing up for the free credit monitoring offers some significant protections and doesn’t impact any of your rights to pursue a data breach lawsuit against the company if it turns out they were legally responsible for the breach. You should contact a credit bureau to request a copy of your credit report—even if you do not notice any signs of fraud or unauthorized activity. Adding a fraud alert to your account will provide you with additional protection.

4. Consider Implementing a Credit Freeze: A credit freeze prevents anyone from accessing your credit report. Credit freezes are free and stay in effect until you remove them. Once a credit freeze is in place, you can temporarily lift the freeze if you need to apply for any type of credit. While placing a credit freeze on your accounts may seem like overkill, given the risks involved, it’s justified. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (“ITRC”), placing a credit freeze on your account is the “single most effective way to prevent a new credit/financial account from being opened.” However, just 3% of data breach victims place a freeze on their accounts.

5. Regularly Monitor Your Credit Report and Financial Accounts: Protecting yourself in the wake of a data breach requires an ongoing effort on your part. You should regularly check your credit report and all financial account statements, looking for any signs of unauthorized activity or fraud. You should also call your banks and credit card companies to report the fact that your information was compromised in a data breach.

Below is a copy of the initial data breach letter issued by Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP:

Dear [Consumer],

We are committed to the privacy and security of the information we maintain related to our employees and their family members. We are writing to notify you of a data security incident that involves some of your personal information. This notice explains the incident, measures we have taken and some steps you can take in response.

What Happened?

We first identified the incident, which disrupted the operations of some of our IT systems, on November 25, 2021. In response, we took steps to secure our network and began an investigation with the assistance of a third-party forensic firm and notified law enforcement. On December 5, 2021, the investigation determined that an unauthorized party removed some files from our file server between November 15, 2021 and November 18, 2021.

What Information Was Involved?

After further review, we determined that the file server contained a human resources directory that included files relating to our employees and their beneficiaries and dependents, which may have included your name, Social Security number, driver’s license number, passport number, financial account number and health insurance information.

What We Are Doing.

To help prevent a similar incident in the future, we have changed passwords and implemented additional security measures and controls in our network. We are offering a 12-month membership to identity monitoring services through Kroll. The identity monitoring services we are making available to you include Credit Monitoring, Fraud Consultation, and Identity Theft Restoration. For more information on how to help safeguard your identity and Kroll Identity Monitoring, including instructions on how to activate your complimentary membership, please visit the below website and see the additional information provided with this letter.

Visit https://enroll.krollmonitoring.com to activate and take advantage of your identity monitoring services.

You have until <> to activate your identity monitoring services.

Membership Number: <>

For more information about Kroll and your Identity Monitoring services, you can visit info.krollmonitoring.com. Additional information describing your services is included with this letter.

What You Can Do.

We remind you to remain vigilant to the possibility of fraud by reviewing your financial statements for any unauthorized activity. You should immediately report any unauthorized activity to your financial institution. For more information on your complimentary membership to Kroll identity monitoring services, as well as additional steps you can take in response to this incident, please see the pages that follow this letter.

For More Information.

We regret that this incident occurred and apologize for any inconvenience. If you have any questions, please call (855) 541-3551, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 am and 5:30 pm, Central Time, excluding some U.S. holidays.