Did City of Hayward have a data breach?

In plain terms

The City of Hayward in Maryland reported a data security incident to the Attorney General on January 29, 2025. This incident involved unauthorized access to their systems, potentially exposing personal information. Individuals who received a direct notification letter should review it carefully and take steps to protect their data.

The City of Hayward, a municipal government entity in Maryland, officially filed a data security incident report with the Maryland Attorney General on January 29, 2025. This public filing confirms that the City experienced unauthorized access to its systems, leading to a data security event.

While the official report does not specify the exact categories of personal information involved, it indicates that the City's systems were compromised. This means that individuals' data managed by the City of Hayward may have been affected during this unauthorized access.

If you have received a formal data breach notification letter directly from the City of Hayward, it confirms that your personal information was potentially part of the data exposed in this incident. Such notifications are issued to inform you of the event and recommend protective measures.

To help safeguard your personal information, it is advisable to monitor your financial accounts and credit reports for any unusual or unauthorized activity. You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus.

Be vigilant against unsolicited communications, such as emails or phone calls, that claim to be from the City of Hayward or related to this incident. These could be phishing attempts designed to trick you into revealing more personal details. Always verify the legitimacy of any requests for sensitive information directly with the source.

Consider enabling multi-factor authentication on your online accounts wherever possible and use strong, unique passwords for different services. These measures add significant layers of security to your personal information.

If you received a notification letter about this breach, you can compare it with other Maryland data breach filings or browse all cases.