Notice of Data Privacy Incident


ABOUT THE INCIDENT

New York School of Interior Design (“NSYID”) is notifying individuals of an incident that may affect the privacy of certain personal information relating to NYSID students, prospective student, faculty, and alumni. NYSID a private, not-for-profit college devoted to the design of the interior environment. NYSID is issuing this notice to communicate what is known about the incident, the response, and steps impacted students can take, if deemed appropriate.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What Happened?
On November 27, 2023, we became aware of suspicious activity potentially involving our network. We promptly took steps to secure our network and minimize any disruption to our community. We then launched an investigation into the nature and scope of the incident. As a result of our investigation, we determined that certain files and systems were accessed by an unknown actor between November 2, 2023, and November 26, 2023. Thereafter, we began an in-depth process to identify the information that may have been affected, identify the individuals whose information may have been impacted, and reviewed internal NYSID records to identify address information for potentially impacted individuals. This process was completed on or about June 17, 2024. NYSID is notifying individuals out of an abundance of caution as the investigation determined that certain information relating to certain individuals may have been accessed or acquired without authorization.

 

What Information Was Involved?
The type of information that was or may have been impacted varies by individual and could include one or more of the following: name, Social Security number, driver’s license or state identification number, Passport number, financial account information, payment card information, health insurance information, medical information, taxpayer identification number, student identification number, and biometric information. The information that was or may have been impacted varies by individual. NYSID mailed notices to impacted individuals for whom it had address information on July 9, 2024.

 

What We Are Doing.
Information security is among NYSID’s highest priorities, and we have strict security measures in place to protect information in our care. Upon becoming aware of this incident, we immediately took steps to confirm the security of our systems, including the deployment of an advanced threat protection and monitoring tool. We are reviewing existing security policies and implementing additional cybersecurity measures to further protect against similar incidents moving forward. We reported this incident to law enforcement, and we are notifying potentially impacted individuals, for whom address information was available. We are also reporting to regulatory authorities, as required.

 

What You Can Do.
While NYSID has no evidence to indicate identity theft or fraud occurred as a result of this incident, NYSID encourages impacted individuals to review the Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Personal Information, which is included below.

 

For More Information.
We understand that you may have questions about this incident that are not addressed in this letter. If you have additional questions, please contact 1-888-854-6051. We take this incident very seriously and sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause you.


Sincerely,

David Sprouls
President
New York School of Interior Design

 

 

STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

 

Monitor Your Accounts

 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, 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 their 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 consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any 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 a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers 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 they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

  • Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);

  • Social Security number;

  • Date of birth;

  • Addresses for the prior two to five years;

  • Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;

  • A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and

  • A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/
1-888-298-0045

Equifax Fraud Alert
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA 30348-5069

Equifax Credit Freeze
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788


Experian
https://www.experian.com/help/
1-888-397-3742

Experian Fraud Alert
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013

Experian Credit Freeze
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
 

TransUnion
https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-800-916-8800

TransUnion Fraud Alert
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

TransUnion Credit Freeze
P.O. Box 160
Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001; (202) 442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; www.riag.ri.gov; and 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event. There are approximately 44 Rhode Island residents that may be impacted by this event.