Mariner Wealth Advisors Reports Data Breach Affecting Nearly 9,000 Individuals Mariner Wealth Advisors, a major registered investment advisor (RIA), disclosed a November 2024 breach involving cloud applications used by three employees, exposing sensitive personal data of nearly 9,000 individuals. The incident, detected on November 4, 2024, involved a criminal third party accessing and downloading files containing names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, account numbers, and government identification numbers. Of the 8,995 affected individuals, 17 were Maine residents. The firm isolated the compromised accounts upon discovery and launched an investigation with third-party experts and federal law enforcement. While no evidence of data misuse has been found, Mariner has engaged external researchers to monitor for potential exploitation. The breach did not impact financial or investment accounts, which reside on separate systems. This incident follows a December 2024 breach at Newport Advisory a Mariner-affiliated entity where unauthorized actors accessed files affecting 9,323 individuals. That breach was detected on January 12, 2025, shortly after Mariner’s acquisition of Newport. Under the SEC’s amended Regulation S-P, which took effect in December 2024 for large RIAs, firms must notify affected clients within 30 days of breach detection. Smaller firms must comply starting this week. Mariner has emphasized cybersecurity enhancements, including a zero-trust email security model, as outlined in a case study by Material Security. The firm has faced frequent spear-phishing attempts and expanded its digital environment through mergers, utilizing both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Despite investments in security, the breach highlights persistent risks in financial services.

On December 7, 2022, the Vermont Attorney General reported a data breach involving Mariner Wealth Advisors, which occurred on November 10, 2022. The breach involved inadvertent disclosure of personal information through a shared file location, affecting an unspecified number of individuals.

Mariner Wealth Advisors Reports Data Breach Impacting Nearly 9,000 Individuals Mariner Wealth Advisors, a U.S.-based financial services firm, recently disclosed a data breach affecting approximately 9,000 clients and employees. The incident, detected earlier this year, involved unauthorized access to sensitive personal and financial information, though the exact scope of exposed data remains under investigation. While details on the breach’s origin are limited, cybersecurity experts suggest it may be linked to a broader trend of targeted attacks against financial institutions. Mariner has notified affected individuals and is working with regulators to assess the impact. The firm has also implemented additional security measures to prevent future incidents. This breach follows a pattern of increasing cyber threats in the financial sector, underscoring the risks faced by wealth management firms handling confidential client data. No evidence of fraudulent activity has been reported at this time, but affected parties are advised to monitor their accounts for suspicious transactions. The full extent of the breach’s consequences is still being evaluated.