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Forget The Drones, Rhode Island Attacked By Very Real Ransomware
A cybersecurity breach has struck the State of Rhode Island, leaving its online social services portal, RIBridges, offline as part of an incident response to mitigate the ransomware threat. Governor Dan McKee confirmed the attack on December 14, revealing that a major security threat had been detected with a high probability that a cybercriminal had obtained files containing personally identifiable information.
According to the statement from the governor’s office, any individual who has received or applied for health coverage and/or health and human services programs or benefits could be impacted by this leak. This includes anyone using the following programs and benefits managed through the RIBridges system: Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Child Care Assistance Program, Health coverage purchased through HealthSource RI, Rhode Island Works, Long-Term Services and Supports, and General Public Assistance Program.
While it is unclear exactly what data has been compromised at this time, the official statement warns that Deloitte, the system vendor, has indicated that the information involved may include names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, as well as certain banking information. Individuals potentially impacted will receive a letter by mail from the state explaining how to access free credit monitoring.
Source: http://www.forbes.com
