Sample Data Breach Notification Letter

What Should a Data Breach Notification Letter Include?

While you are free to customize the Data Breach Notification Letter template to suit the needs of your organization, consider including the following information in your letter:

1. Introduction - state the actual date, indicate your name, and greet the recipient.
2. Description of the breach. Provide the information currently at your disposal and specify how many people may have been affected by the security violation. For instance, you can tell the recipient of the letter the names of the customers and their credit card numbers are now available to the general public.
3. Actions the letter reader can take immediately to protect their interests. If you suspect the confidential corporate information was leaked to the competitors, the addressee can start changing passwords while you are getting in touch with the specialist who will monitor the accounts of the company and protect them from further unauthorized access.
4. Actions you are taking to investigate the problem, prevent a similar breach.
5. Contact information of the letter writer. Provide your telephone number and email in case the recipient (employee, client, or business partner) detects suspicious activity that may undermine the safety of their personal and work accounts.
6. Apology for the inconvenience, assurance that you are making every effort to fix the issue, and the signature of the letter writer. Send this notification via email to make sure this information reaches the intended addresses on time.

Not what you need? Check out these related documents:

• Notification Letter Template;
• Death Notification Letter Template;
• Sample Death Notification Letter.