Berkeley Research Group thinkbrg.com Berkeley Research Group data breach: what happened and what to do
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
Berkeley Research Group (BRG), a consulting firm, said an unauthorized party copied data from its network between February 28 and March 2, 2025. Notices went to people through clients such as health plans. Data types differ by letter.
View all 13,118 breaches- Breach date
- 28 Feb 2025
- Data exposed
- Names, Physical addresses, Dates of birth, Social security numbers, Government issued IDs, Bank account numbers, Credit cards, Medical information, Health insurance information
- Last updated
Berkeley Research Group (BRG) is a consulting and expert services firm. It holds data for clients that include health plans, pharmacy benefit managers and universities, so people have been notified about this breach under several different names.
What happened
BRG says an unauthorized party accessed some of its systems between February 28 and March 2, 2025, and copied information from the network. It found indicators consistent with ransomware on March 2, 2025. Notification letters came much later: the California Attorney General list shows the notice added in late August 2026.
Sources checked: thinkbrg.com, emeryreddy.com, oag.ca.gov
Last verified against the official page:
What was exposed
The data depends on which client's information you were part of. Client notices describe names with one or more of: addresses, dates of birth, member IDs and health information. Law firm summaries of the letters list more types, including Social Security numbers, driver's license and passport numbers, financial account details and medical and insurance information. Treat your own letter as the authority on your case.
BRG's own notice says its work for clients is the reason it held the data. No single total for all people has been published in the sources used here, so no total is given.
What to do
If you got a letter, note the data types it lists. Where Social Security numbers or government IDs appear, freeze your credit. Where health information appears, review insurer statements for claims you didn't make. Be wary of calls or emails that mention your health plan or a recent claim.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Find the data types listed in your letter
Letters differ by client. The list tells you which of the steps below you need.
- 2
Freeze your credit
A freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion stops new accounts being opened in your name. It's free, takes a few minutes per bureau and you can lift it when you need credit. Check your bank and card statements monthly.
- 3
Review insurer statements
Look for claims, prescriptions or visits you don't recognize and report them to your plan.
- 4
Be wary of health plan impersonators
Don't give details to someone who calls or messages about your plan. Use the number on your member card.
- 5
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Run a free scan at Serus. Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your data appears. It can't remove data from a breach, but it tells you what to do next.
Official filings
- Texas Attorney General , filed 1 Sept 2026 : 1,185,755 people
- California Attorney General , filed 31 Aug 2026
- Oregon Department of Justice , filed 30 Oct 2025
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , filed 30 Apr 2025 : 500 people
Timeline
-
The breach happened
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Reported to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Reported to the Oregon Department of Justice
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Reported to the California Attorney General
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Reported to the Texas Attorney General
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Berkeley Research Group breach?
Letters went out in 2026, often under a client's name, such as a health plan. If you got one, you were included. If you're unsure, ask the plan or organization that used BRG.
What was exposed?
It varies by client. Names, addresses and dates of birth appear, and some letters list Social Security numbers, IDs, financial and health information.
Should I change my password?
Passwords aren't listed in the sources used. Change any you reuse as a precaution.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
