Pierce County Library Breach Impacts at Least 340,101 Individuals

On Oct. 10, 2025, Pierce County Library System discovered it had suffered a major data breach after detecting suspicious activity within its systems. The types of consumer information exposed in this incident included a wide range of personally identifiable information (PII) of at least 340,101 individuals across the U.S.

The breach occurred between April 15 and April 21, 2025, and involved unauthorized access to the library’s environment, during which certain files were copied and taken by an external threat actor.

Subsequent investigation revealed that the ransomware group INC RANSOM was responsible, and they claimed the attack on their dark web portal on May 22, 2025, even posting sample screenshots of the stolen data on the Tor network. Exposed data includes full name, addresses, date of birth, Social Security number, government-issued identification card, pay stub, proof of current address, Social Security card and W2 forms.

The largest impact was in Washington state, with 336,826 residents affected, while Maine and Massachusetts reported six and eight affected individuals, respectively.

The company has disclosed the breach to relevant authorities, including the Attorney Generals' offices in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and Washington. Written notice to affected consumers began on Dec. 9, 2025.

Pierce County Library System's response

To help those impacted, the library is offering twelve months of complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services through IDX at no cost to affected individuals. In Massachusetts, impacted individuals are being offered twenty-four months of credit monitoring, reflecting local legal requirements.

If you receive notification from the Pierce County Library System about this breach, you may want to:

• Sign up for the free IDX identity theft protection services, offered by the library system.
• Monitor your credit reports and financial accounts for any unusual activity.
• Be alert for phishing emails or phone calls that may use your exposed information.
• Consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with major credit bureaus.

For affected individuals with questions, Pierce County Library System has set up a call center at 855-201-0132, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT.