Posted On February 22, 2022 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
February 22, 2022 – Recently, Manhattan School of Music announced that it experienced a data security incident stemming from unauthorized access to an employee’s email account. As a result, the sensitive information of 6,500 individuals was compromised. Those impacted by a data breach should be sure they understand what happened, what their rights are, and how they can pursue them. The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are actively investigating this security breach. As a part of the investigative process, our attorneys will be interviewing any victims of the breach to determine what harm was caused and whether they are eligible to bring a data breach class action lawsuit against Manhattan School of Music.
According to a letter sent to those impacted by the recent breach, the Manhattan School of Music learned of suspicious activity regarding an employee’s email account on June 17, 2021. The School then launched an internal investigation to learn more about the incident. Subsequently, the Manhattan School of Music confirmed that between April 17, 2021 and June 17, 2021, an unauthorized party gained access to the employee’s email account.
Upon learning of the security breach, Manhattan School of Music then reviewed the affected employee’s email account to determine what consumer information may have been compromised. The School completed this process on November 23, 2021. While the compromised information varies by consumer, it may include affected parties’ names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and financial account information. The Manhattan School of Music data breach is believed to have affected as many as 6,500 people.
February 18, 2022, Manhattan School of Music began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was contained in the affected files.
Manhattan School of Music (“MSM”) is a music conservatory located in New York City, NY. The School focuses on classical music, jazz and musical theater. MSM offers the following degrees: Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts, Professional Studies Certificate, and Artist Diploma. The student body consists of 961 students from 38 states and 46 countries.
When you allowed Manhattan School of Music access to your personal data, you trusted the school to keep your sensitive information safe. However, news of the Manhattan School of Music data breach raises some very serious questions about the school’s data security measures and whether it could have done more to prevent this type of cyber-attack.
Regardless of the industry, all businesses have a legal obligation to protect consumer information in their possession. Although creating and maintaining a data security system is costly, this is a necessary expense given the frequency with which cyberattacks occur.
Consumers whose personal, identifying, financial or healthcare-related data was compromised in a data breach can pursue legal action against an organization that misused or mishandled their information. However, the investigation into the Manhattan School of Music breach is only in its beginning phases. For that reason, it is too early to tell if Manhattan School of Music was legally responsible for the breach. However, our data breach attorneys are investigating the Manhattan School of Music security breach to determine the potential legal remedies of those affected.
If you have questions about your ability to pursue a data breach class action lawsuit against Manhattan School of Music, contact a data breach attorney as soon as possible.
If you receive a data breach notification from the Manhattan School of Music in the coming weeks, it means your personal data was among that which was compromised in the recent cyberattack. It also means a cybercriminal may have had access to—and may have stolen—your personal data. Given the risks involved, it is important you remain vigilant by taking the following steps:
At Console & Associates, P.C., our consumer privacy lawyers monitor all security and data breaches to help affected consumers pursue their legal remedies. We offer free consultations to victims of data breaches and can explain your rights in clear, understandable terms so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed with your case. If you’ve been affected by the Manhattan School of Music data breach or any other data security incident, Console & Associates, P.C., will investigate your case at no charge and offer you thorough advice about how to most effectively proceed with your case. If you decide to bring a case, we only get paid if you do. If your claim is successful, any legal fees are either paid by the defendant or come out of the funds recovered from the defendant. If your claim doesn’t result in a recovery, you will pay nothing.
Contact us at 866-778-5500, or use our confidential contact form to speak to our legal team.