Posted On March 22, 2023 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
March 22, 2023 – After realizing that an unauthorized party had acquired access to specific areas of the Sunland network that included private customer information, Sunland Asphalt and Construction, LLC (“Sunland”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Maine on March 17, 2023. According to the firm’s formal filing, the incident led to unauthorized access to customers’ names, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, passport numbers, financial account information, credit and debit card information, health insurance information, medical information, usernames, passwords, and digital signatures. Sunland started sending data breach notification letters to everyone who was affected by the recent data security incident as soon as it was confirmed that customer data had been exposed.
The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are currently investigating the breach. If you receive a notification email from Sunland Asphalt and Construction, we strongly advise that you prepare yourself for whatever may come next. This entails becoming knowledgeable about your protection options in the event that your information is misused and getting ready, in the event that Sunland was negligent in protecting your personal data, for the potential that you might be able to file a data breach case against the business.
Sunland Asphalt and Construction, LLC is a firm that specializes in both commercial and residential construction. Sunland originally provided only asphalt maintenance services but is now a full-service contractor offering services such as concrete work, utility adjustments, underground wet utilities, structures, and asphalt repairs in addition to paving, striping, crack sealing, chip sealing sealcoating, milling, reconstruction, and pulverizing. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, there are also Sunland offices in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. Sunland Asphalt and Construction, founded in 1979, today has a workforce of more than 397 and an annual revenue of over $278 million.
A notice posted on the company’s website and the filing with the Maine Attorney General claim that on August 29, 2022, Sunland discovered unusual activity within its computer network. As a result, the business secured its network and started working with outside experts to look into the occurrence. The investigation revealed that an unauthorized entity was able to access files on Sunland’s computer system that held sensitive customer information between August 27, 2022 and August 29, 2022.
Sunland Asphalt and Construction started looking through the affected files after learning that private customer information had been made available to an unauthorized source in order to ascertain what information had been hacked and whose customers were impacted. Consumers’ names, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, passport numbers, financial account information, credit and debit card information, health insurance information, medical information, usernames, passwords, and digital signatures may all have been compromised, though the specifics depend on the individual.
On March 17, 2023, Sunland Asphalt and Construction sent data breach letters to notify all individuals who may have been impacted by the incident.
We advise all consumers to keep a close eye on their financial statements and to report any unusual behavior right away. Here are some actions you can take immediately to increase your protection level. You might want to take extra actions because this list is not all-inclusive.
Monitoring your accounts and keeping an eye out for any unusual behavior is a good idea. Your financial accounts, credit report, and even accounts not directly related to finances. Inform law enforcement immediately if you believe there has been any suspicious activity on your accounts.
Secure your accounts right now rather than waiting until there is suspicious behavior. Make sure all of your online accounts are protected. Update your passwords, and if multi-factor authorization is available, use it. Safeguard not only money accounts but all accounts. If hackers have obtained your private data, it will be simple for them to gather more data from accounts unrelated to finances in order to cause greater harm.
Major credit bureaus provide free services like credit freezes and data alerts. Use these free services and ensure no one can access your credit accounts by taking advantage of them. Thanks to a credit freeze, anyone who checks your credit without your consent will not be able to do so. Each organization trying to verify your credit will be informed by a fraud notice that someone may be attempting to use your information fraudulently.
The consumer privacy lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. help customers affected by data and security breaches pursue legal solutions by offering free consultations. By explaining your rights in clear, concise terms, we help you make an informed decision about your next steps. If you are a victim of the Sunland Asphalt and Construction, LLC data breach, Console & Associates, P.C. will investigate at no charge to you and offer advice on how to proceed. If you decide to pursue a case, rest assured that we don’t get paid unless you do. If your claim is successful, legal fees are either paid out of the funds recovered or by the defendant. If your claim is not successful, you pay nothing.
To schedule your free consultation, just call (866) 778-5500 today or fill out our secure contact form.
Below is a portion of the notice posted on their website:
Sunland Asphalt and Construction, LLC (“Sunland”) is providing notice of a recent event that may impact the security of certain information. Although Sunland is unaware of any misuse of this information, they are providing information about the incident, steps taken since discovering the incident, and what an impacted individual can do to better protect against potential misuse of personal information as a result of this incident, should they feel it is appropriate to do so.
On or about August 29, 2022, Sunland became aware of suspicious activity in their computer network. Sunland immediately took steps to secure network and minimize any disruption to their operations. Sunland launched an investigation into the nature and scope of the incident with the assistance of third-party specialists. The investigation determined that an unknown actor gained access to certain parts of the Sunland network between August 27, 2022 and August 29, 2022.
Following this determination, Sunland began an in-depth process to identify the information that may have been contained in the impacted environment and to whom the information relates. Upon determination of the individuals whose information may have been impacted, Sunland reviewed internal records to identify address information for potentially impacted individuals. For purposes of providing notice. This process concluded on February 2, 2023. Sunland notified impacted individuals out of an abundance of caution because the investigation determined that certain information relating to these individuals may have been accessed or acquired by an unknown unauthorized person.
Sunland’s review determined that information related to certain individuals may have been present in one of the impacted systems included the following types of information: name, date of birth, financial account information, Social Security number, passport number, driver’s license number, payment card information, medical information, health insurance information, electronic signature, and username and password.
Information security is among Sunland’s highest priorities, and they have strict security measures in place to protect information in their care. Upon becoming aware of this incident, Sunland immediately took steps to confirm the security of their systems, including the deployment of an advanced threat protection and monitoring tool. Sunland is reviewing existing security policies and implemented additional cybersecurity measures to further protect against similar incidents moving forward. Sunland reported this incident to law enforcement and is cooperating with their investigation. Sunland is notifying potentially impacted individuals, so that they may take steps to best protect their information, should they feel it is appropriate to do so. Sunland also notified regulatory authorities, as required.
Individuals that have questions should contact Sunland’s dedicated call center 1-833-753-4536, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Eastern Time. Sunland takes this incident very seriously and sincerely regrets any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause individuals.
Sunland encourages all potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant by reviewing account statements and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Additionally, under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, individuals may visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.
Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If individuals are a victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should an individual wish to place a fraud alert, they may contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.
As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in their name without their consent. However, individuals should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application individuals make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, individuals cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report.
