Rhode Island Residents: Your personal data may have been leaked after RIBridges hack

If you are a Rhode Island resident and have recently applied for government assistance through… RepbridgesThere is a high possibility that your personal data has been compromised in a new data breach.

Hackers stole RIBridges account holders’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and banking information, Government officials said. As of Tuesday, the cybercriminal group responsible for the attack announced, Brain codingholds data ransom and is And threatening to leak it on the dark web.

If you have received the following benefits since the launch of RIBridges in 2016, your data may be at risk:

• Medicaid Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• Temporary assistance for families in need
• Child Care Assistance Program
• Health coverage purchased through HealthSource
• RI Rhode Island Business
• Long-term services and support
• Public Home Assistance Program Cost Share

“State government agencies are often considered low-hanging fruit because they may lack the most sophisticated cybersecurity protections but have extremely valuable information that identity criminals want,” James Lee, director of operations at the Identity Theft Resource Center, told CNET in an email.

The RIBridges portal, operated by Deloitte, has been temporarily closed while authorities work to address the threat. Deloitte confirmed the hack on December 11, which is believed to have affected hundreds of thousands of residents.

Deloitte company you work with More than 25 US statestold the media that only RIBridges systems were compromised due to the Brain Cipher attack. The company did not immediately respond to CNET’s requests for comment.

“After consulting with the state IT department, Deloitte immediately implemented additional security measures and began assessing the threat,” he added. The governor’s office said in a statement On its website.

If you are affected by this breach, you will be notified in the coming weeks and will have access to identity theft and credit monitoring services paid for by Deloitte, state officials said during a Dec. 14 news conference.

For the latest information about the hack, you can visit cyberalert.ri.gov

What should I do if I am affected by a RIBridges hack?

If your data is compromised in a cyberattack, your personal identification data will likely be leaked on the Dark Web and you may be exposed to fraud. There are steps you can take to help protect your identity and perhaps stop identity thieves in their tracks.

In a Short video On December 16, Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee outlined some steps residents can take to limit the consequences of a data breach. As a cybersecurity editor, I’ve added some helpful steps to this list to secure any sensitive data.

Update your password

You should change the password for your RIBridges account as soon as possible. If you use the same password on other accounts, change those passwords as well.

Set up multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication is a great way to protect your accounts from fraudsters trying to commit fraud. After you log into the account, the website or mobile app will send a verification code via email or text message to verify that it is you who is actually logged into the account.

Modern A CNET poll found that 41% of US adults enrolled in two-factor authentication after their data was compromised in a data breach.

Request copies of your credit reports

You should Request copies of your credit report From each credit bureau and review them for any errors or accounts you did not open. It’s a good idea to do this a few times a year, especially if you know your personal data has been compromised in a hack.

You can order free copies of your credit reports weekly at annualcreditreport.com.

Freeze your credit reports

Mackey advised residents to contact all three credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax). Freeze their credit. Freezing your credit ensures that no one can open a new line of credit in your name and accumulate debt on your account Credit score. However, in order to apply for credit yourself, you will need to temporarily unfreeze or “thaw” your credit.

“Your credit freeze can be done online within minutes on your smartphone or computer,” Lee said.

Alternatively, you can put Fraud alerts On your credit reports, which let you know if someone tries to access your credit file. However, fraud alerts only last for 12 months and do not prevent creditors from accessing your reports. This may be a good option if you expect to apply for credit soon and want to be notified before an account is opened in your name.

Look for phishing attacks

If your personal data is leaked in a hack, you will likely start receiving phishing attempts from scammers seeking to access your financial accounts or obtain more personal information.

These scams can occur via text, email, and phone and can take many forms – from Non-delivery package scams And fake job opportunities for cryptocurrency scams.

Never give out your personal information including your Social Security Number (SSN) and passport number through any unsolicited contact.

Sign up for identity theft protection

RIBridges account holders affected by this breach will receive free identity theft protection services paid for by Deloitte.

Once that free coverage period is over, you can consider it Subscribe for ongoing coverage Alone.