Long Beach City Delays Nearly 2 Years to Disclose Breach Exposing SSNs, IDs, Biometric Data

Long Beach, CA – April 14, 2025 – In a long-awaited move, the City of Long Beach is notifying individuals whose personal information may have been compromised in a November 2023 cyberattack 17 months after the incident occurred.

The breach, which involved an unauthorized party accessing the City’s network, was initially disclosed in late 2023. But only now is the City issuing official notices to affected individuals and offering free credit monitoring services for some. The delay raises serious questions about why it took so long to alert the public, especially given the nature of the sensitive data involved.

According to officials, the breached files may have contained names alongside Social Security numbers, financial account details, medical information, driver’s license numbers, and even biometric data. While the City maintains there’s no evidence of fraud or misuse, the sheer scope of exposed personal information has sparked concern.

“Data security is of the utmost importance,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “We will continue to be as transparent as we can.” But with the notification letters only going out now, many residents are left wondering: Why wasn’t this level of transparency offered sooner?

City Manager Tom Modica defended the timeline, citing the complexity of the forensic investigation, which was only completed in March 2025. “We understand this news may resurface concern and angst for our residents,” Modica said, assuring the public that cybersecurity remains a top priority.

A dedicated call center is now available at 888-802-9667 to answer questions, though callers are warned not to share personal information over the phone.

To bolster security going forward, the City has invested $1 million in its FY 2025 budget for cybersecurity infrastructure, training, and data loss prevention. But for those potentially affected, that may be little comfort.

More information, including multilingual FAQs, can be found at longbeach.gov/networksecurityincident.