Urban One, a Maryland-based media conglomerate serving the African American community through multiple TV channels, dozens of radio stations and news websites, disclosed a sophisticated social engineering–driven breach that began on February 13. Attackers infiltrated internal systems and exfiltrated sensitive employee data—including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, direct deposit information and W-2 forms—without disrupting ongoing operations. The company detected the intrusion on March 15; a forensic investigation completed by March 30 confirmed that hackers stole the records of 355 Texas residents. In breach filings submitted in Texas and Massachusetts, Urban One offered two years of credit monitoring services to affected individuals and notified law enforcement. The incident was claimed by the Cactus ransomware gang on March 12, one of several high-profile attacks it has carried out since its 2023 emergence, following incidents at Americold, Schneider Electric and public agencies. Urban One, which reported roughly $450 million in 2024 revenue and previously suffered a 2019 SSN theft, has not provided further comment, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities to social engineering and data exfiltration threats.

On April 5, 2019, the California Office of the Attorney General reported a data breach involving Urban One, Inc. The incident, which occurred on February 28, 2019, involved unauthorized access to the company's network, potentially affecting the personal information of up to 1,217 residents, including names, addresses, and Social Security numbers.