On December 5, 2022, Macmillan reported a data breach with the Texas Attorney General after an unauthorized party was able to bypass its data security system and gain access to sensitive consumer information on the company’s computer system. According to Macmillan, the breach resulted in consumer names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and financial account information being compromised. Recently, Macmillan sent out data breach letters to all affected parties, informing them of the incident and what they can do to protect themselves from identity theft and other frauds.
If you received a data breach notification from Macmillan, it means that your personal information is now in the possession of the hackers who carried out the cyberattack. Therefore, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. As we’ve discussed in prior posts, data breach victims can measurably reduce the chances of falling victim to identity theft or fraud by taking prompt action. Of course, due to the natural delays in reporting these leaks, it’s possible that hackers have already put the wheels of fraud in motion. However, data breach victims may have a legal claim against any company that is negligent in storing their information. While it’s too early to tell if Macmillan’s negligence contributed to the breach, data breach lawyers are looking into this possibility.
What We Know About the Macmillan Publishers Data Breach
The available information regarding the Macmillan Publishers breach comes from the company’s filing with the Texas Attorney General’s office. A Macmillan spokesperson also provided a statement to a preeminent data security news outlet, providing additional information about the incident. According to these sources, around June 25, 2022, Macmillan detected a potential cybersecurity threat after learning that some files on its network had been encrypted. In response, Macmillan took all affected servers offline and began investigating the incident and what, if any, consumer data was leaked as a result.
While there hasn’t been an official statement from Macmillan since shortly after the attack, it appears that the company completed its investigation and determined that at least some of the files hackers had access to contained confidential consumer information.
Upon discovering that sensitive consumer data was made available to an unauthorized party, Macmillan Publishers began to review the affected files to determine what information was compromised and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, address, Social Security number, driver’s license number and financial account information.
On December 5, 2022, Macmillan Publishers sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident. While the exact number of people who were impacted by the Macmillan breach has not yet been determined, the Texas Attorney General reports that there were 1,193 victims in Texas alone.
More Information About Macmillan
Macmillan is a book publishing company based in New York, New York. The company operates in 70 countries, with imprints in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, and India. Macmillan has eight divisions in the United States, including Celadon Books; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Flatiron Books; Henry Holt and Company; Macmillan Audio; Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; The St. Martin’s Publishing Group; and Tor Publishing Group Macmillan is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, based in Stuttgart, Germany. Macmillan Publishers employs more than 539 people and generates approximately $58 million in annual revenue.
