Sperm bank California Cryobank confirms data breach

California Cryobank (CCB), one of the largest reproductive tissue banks in the world, has disclosed a data breach that affected an unknown number of Americans. Law firms are investigating a potential case for class action amid concerns that “biometric data may be compromised.”

CCB reported the data breach to California and Maine authorities but did not disclose the full scope of the incident. It filed a statement with Maine’s Attorney General’s office stating that 28 Maine residents are affected.

The biotechnology company said it detected unauthorized activity on certain computers on April 21st, 2024, isolated them from the IT network, and launched an investigation.

“An unauthorized party gained access to our IT environment and may have accessed and/or acquired files maintained on certain computer systems between April 20th, 2024, and April 22nd, 2024,” the letter to the affected individuals reads.

Hackers “potentially accessed” sensitive files and stole Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account numbers, and health insurance information.

No threat actor tracked by Cybernews Ransomlooker claimed responsibility for the breach. CCB did not provide any details on the total number of individuals affected or whether the breach involved customers, employees, or others.

CCB is offering affected individuals complimentary one-year memberships to credit monitoring services.

However, data breach lawyers at The Lyon Firm are investigating whether class action complaints can be filed. If a data theft event occurs due to IT security negligence, individuals can seek compensation for any related damages, the firm explains on its website, and offers free consultations.

“As one of the largest reproductive tissue banks in the country, there are concerns that biometric data may be compromised in a privacy intrusion. The company specializes in frozen donor sperm and frozen donor egg services and provides a range of reproductive services, including private semen cryopreservation, egg and embryo storage, and cord blood banking,” the law firm argues.

Cybernews has reached out to CCB for a comment and will update the story with its response.