On June 15, attorneys for Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. informed (pdf) the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office that there had been unauthorized access of a Human Resources/Payroll database by a former employee back in February. Notification of individuals was delayed reportedly at the request of law enforcement.
When it discovered the breach, the company reported the matter to the police, who recently arrested the former employee and seized all of his computer equipment. According to the notification, the computer equipment is undergoing forensic analysis by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (There was no reason provided as to how or why this might be an issue of homeland security. Is Jim Beam’s a national security threat?)
Based on Beam Global’s internal investigation of the incident, Beam Global believes that the perpetrator was able to access a database containing the names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of several current and former Beam Global employees. Beam Global does not know if any of the aforementioned information actually was copied from the compromised database.
The company did not offer affected employees any free services, but notes that it has taken several steps as a result of this incident:
We have implemented a number of new safeguards regarding our HR data files that will help prevent a similar occurrence, including implementing new security processes, disabling remote access from outside the corporate firewall, and severely limiting authorized access.