PURCELLVILLE, Va. November 10, 2019 – As a result of the Town’s investigation into the events of 2017 concerning the former Interim Town Manager, the Town discovered a potential data breach. Specifically, the Town learned that an unauthorized individual may have obtained a USB flash drive containing a copy of an employee’s email account. The Town of Purcellville takes the privacy and security of all information entrusted to it very seriously. Upon learning of the potential security breach, the Town engaged a data-security consulting firm to analyze the data on the flash drive, and assess the impact. As part of this investigation, the Town worked closely with external cybersecurity professionals and law enforcement.
The Town’s data security consultant conducted an extensive forensic examination of the data, identified those individuals whose sensitive personal information was contained on the flash drive, and notified those individuals by correspondence dated October 17, 2019. The letter was sent on behalf of the Town by the Town’s security consultant from an address in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Because the letter was sent by the Town’s security consultant, the letterhead differs from the Town’s standard stationery, but contains the Town’s logo.
The letter from the Town’s security consultant provides a full explanation to the recipient about how to proceed, including a dedicated and confidential toll-free number that is staffed by professionals familiar with this incident who can answer questions. The Town encourages the recipient of each such letter to take advantage of the services being offered by the Town, as described in the letter.
