First Financial Security, Inc. (FFS) is a nationwide insurance brokerage agency that assists insurance representatives in training, equipment, and licensing. They offer clients solutions for sustaining retirement funds and financial protection against untimely death, illness, and injury. They partner with other nationally recognized brokers, including Gerber Life Insurance and National Life Group. In October 2023, FFS faced a ransomware cyberattack; months later, the outcome was bittersweet.

Deli Management, Inc. does business as Jason’s Deli. It is an organization with over 250 deli shops located in 28 states. Since 1976, Jason’s Deli has been a popular solution for sandwiches and soups in the south and mid-eastern US. They offer various options for individuals and catering, including a rewards program called “Deli Dollars” and a website from which users can create an account and order food.

The Columbus Regional Healthcare System (CRHS) spans ten counties in southeastern Indiana. The network includes over 2,400 employees, 200 physicians, and many volunteers. CRHS offers emergency and surgical solutions, primary and specialty care programs, and endless inpatient and outpatient service options. CRHS recently notified the Maine Attorney General’s Office of a breach within their systems; the event happened in May 2023—and has potentially compromised the data of 132,887 individuals.

Based in Irvine, California, LoanDepot is a nationwide mortgage lender. Their solutions assist homeowners in purchasing land and obtaining reasonable equity costs. They are licensed in 50 states and, in 14 years, have become the most significant nonbanking lender in the US. In the second week of January, we featured a piece on LoanDepot; at the time, they were in the throes of a cyber skirmish, fighting for control of their discombobulated systems.

Kansas State University (K-State) is below Tuttle Creek Lake in northeast Kansas. The university serves 20,000 students, employs a complex faculty of emeritus, postdocs, and graduates, and offers over 50 programs. On Tuesday (January 16th, 2024), K-State published a statement concerning the disruption of some of its services; hours later, a preliminary investigation determined the cause of the disruptions came from a cybersecurity event.

This week was slow in the cybersecurity breach world; a combined 775k records got exposed stemming from two health centers (Singing River Health and Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD) and a nationwide mortgage lender (Academy Mortgage Corporation); a communications security solution (Egress) released a risk report urging action of business leaders; and Kansas State University suffered widespread disruptions, potentially compromising the sensitive data of their students and faculty.

Egress Software is a cybersecurity firm specializing in digital communications. They analyze security risks within emails, messaging, documents, file-sharing gateways, and more. In their line of work, humans are the most significant cybersecurity risk to any organization.

Academy Mortgage Corporation (AMC) is a nationwide mortgage lender and home loan estate professional group. The organization has over 200 branches throughout the US and numerous loan, mortgage, and financing options. In March 2023, AMC officials discovered a breach within their system network; the threat actor accessed and deactivated some of their securities, putting employees and borrowers at risk for compromised data.

The Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) has six regional locations and assists those with behavioral health and developmental needs. Every year, they serve thousands within Harris County and deliver over a million services nationwide. In November, Harris experienced a network disruption; an unauthorized actor accessed and compromised the data of 238,463 individuals within Harris’ network.