HDC Hoax: Was the Tennessee ABC Hacked?

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The Tennessee ABC was the recipient of a nefarious trick on Halloween, when businesses holding Tennessee HDC licenses received an email announcing that illegal hemp-derived cannabinoid (HDC) products were suddenly legal again in the state.

The Tennessee ABC promptly responded to the prank with a follow-up email warning of a “Fraudulent TABC Email” and stating that hemp restrictions remain in effect.

So far, we have not seen any information concerning the apparent data breach.

Whoever sent the fake email appears to have obtained email addresses and potentially other license information for businesses that hold HDC licenses with the Tennessee ABC. Some of the fake emails contained legitimate license numbers and identified the LLC that holds the license.

Did the hackers also steal Social Security numbers and other personal identification from owners of the businesses? Do the hackers have copies of driver’s licenses and criminal background checks?

We keep humming Jane’s Addiction “Been Caught Stealing”:

I've been caught stealin', once when I was five
I enjoy stealin', it's just as simple as that
Oh well, it's just a simple fact
When I want something, man, I don't wanna pay for it

Confidential personal information is required to obtain an HDC license from the Tennessee ABC. This information is presumably stored in the same system that was hacked. The Tennessee ABC uses Mockingbird for HDC licensing.

Here is a redacted version of the fake email:

Here is a response from the ABC:

We trust that protected data remains safe at the ABC. However, the lack of information concerning the apparent hack is not reassuring. The hack is currently being investigated by the Division of Strategic Technological Solutions with the Department of Finance and Administration.

Stay tuned for more.

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