TRC Staffing Services, Inc. d/b/a TRC Talent Solutions is issuing data breach notifications to 158,593 people following a ransomware attack in March 2024. The attack was claimed by ransomware group, BlackSuit.
In its data breach notification, TRC Talent Solutions describes: “On or about April 12, 2024, TRC identified suspicious activity on certain computer systems that included the encryption of certain files.” It goes on to say that the unknown actor gained access to its systems between March 25, 2024 and April 12, 2024.
During its investigation into the attack, TRC identified that employees’ data (names and Social Security Numbers) may have been affected.
At present, we don’t know how much BlackSuit demanded from TRC, whether it negotiated with the hackers, or how BlackSuit allegedly accessed its systems. Comparitech has contacted TRC for further comments and will update this article if it responds.
We highly recommend those affected take up TRC’s offer of a free year’s worth of CyEx credit monitoring services. Victims may be vulnerable to identity fraud and should be on high alert for any suspicious messages or activity in their accounts.
The biggest ransomware attack on the US service industry
Based on our current data, this attack on TRC Talent Solutions is the biggest ransomware attack on the US service industry so far this year–based on the number of records affected. With nearly 160,000 records affected, it accounts for nearly 80 percent of all records impacted in ransomware attacks on the US service industry (199,133 in total).
So far this year, we’ve logged 10 confirmed ransomware attacks on the US service industry. Last year, we saw 51 with 956,599 records affected in total.
In general, the service industry sees a lower number of records affected. This is likely due to this industry having less sensitive data and the encryption of systems being a more disruptive/lucrative method for ransomware groups. On average, ransomware groups demand a ransom of $990,000 from the service industry.
Who is BlackSuit?
BlackSuit first emerged in April 2023, and has a history of attacking critical industries like healthcare, government, and education. It’s a private operation and doesn’t employ a ransomware-as-a-service business model. Blacksuit often extorts victims twice: once for the decryption key to restore attacked systems, and again in exchange for not selling or publishing stolen data.
Comparitech has logged eight confirmed attacks by BlackSuit on US organizations so far this year. This includes its attacks on Jackson County and Octapharma Plasma, plus the huge attack on Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin which saw over 530,000 records affected.
We have also tracked 28 unconfirmed attacks via BlackSuit throughout 2024 so far.
About TRC Talent Solutions
Established in 1980, TRC Talent Solutions is one of the biggest private staffing firms in the US. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with offices across the US.