On April 16, 2024, HBL CPAs, P.C. (“HBL”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Montana after discovering that certain files stored on the company’s computer network were subject to unauthorized access. In this notice, HBL explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information. Upon completing its investigation, HBL began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

If you received a data breach notification from HBL CPAs, P.C., it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the HBL CPAs data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the HBL CPAs Data Breach?

The HBL CPAs data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, HBL’s filing with the Attorney General of Montana provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on November 30, 2023, HBL detected unusual activity within its computer network. In response, HBL secured its systems, notified the FBI, and then launched an investigation to learn more about the incident and whether any consumer information in the company’s possession was compromised.

Through this investigation, HBL was able to determine that an unauthorized actor accessed its systems on November 30, 2023, including files containing confidential consumer information.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, HBL CPAs reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. HBL completed this process on April 5, 2023.

On April 16, 2024, HBL CPAs sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. While the publicly available HBL data breach letter on the Montana Attorney General’s website does not mention the type of information that was leaked, the personalized data breach letters sent to individual victims should provide them with a list of information that was subject to unauthorized access.

More Information About HBL CPAs, P.C.

Founded in 1973, HBL CPAs, P.C. is an accounting firm based out of Tucson, Arizona. HBL provides tax services, accounting services, auditing and attestation services, consulting services, and various other services to businesses and non-profit organizations located in Tucson, Arizona. HBL has specific experience working with organizations in the construction, franchising, healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, non-profit and retail industries. HBL CPAs employs more than 35 people and generates approximately $8 million in annual revenue.