United States: State officials are saying that an international hacker group has potentially taken banking and personal information of hundreds of thousands of Rhode Island residents. The attackers who are yet to be identified demanded an unknown amount of money and stolen personal information of the participants in the state’s government welfare programs such as the SNAP (food stamps) and HealthSource RI health, as reported by Reuters.
On Friday, Governor Dan McKee formally acknowledged the breach, saying that the stolen information could concern anyone who has applied for or has been receiving benefits from these programs since 2016.
RIBridges System Hacked
The breach happened earlier this month when attackers broke into RIBridges, an internet portal Rhod Islanders use to apply for social services. While the San Jose based vendor, Deloitte, continued to ignore or remain silent over the leakage in breach until Friday, the governor’s office was quick to confirm that the stolen data involved personally identifiable information.
State Takes Immediate Action
In response to the breach, Rhode Island has ordered Deloitte to shut down the RIBridges system to address the security threat. Until the system is restored, residents applying for benefits must submit paper applications. The state will also send letters to affected households, outlining steps to protect personal information and prevent further exposure, as reported by Reuters.