Minnesota Department of Human Services hit with phishing scheme

The Minnesota Department of Human Services, on January 30, 2018, issued letters to around 3,000 people who possibly suffered due to a data hack that resulted in exposure of their personal information. The agency in a notification to state lawmakers informed about one phishing campaign during September which led to a staff member following one malicious web-link. The department subsequently informed about the hacking event to both FBI and the Legislative Auditor.

However, according to Tony Lourey, Commissioner in the Department of Human Services, there's still no clue regarding the hackers viewing the information, downloading it else misusing it. The data in danger consists of names, date of births, phone numbers as well as details related to child protection incidences. There is also a bunch of thirty numbers involving financial accounts, drivers' licenses and Social Security Numbers.

Lourey, within one correspondence dated January 29 to the lawmakers of Minnesota State, stated that hackers had compromised the e-mail of one county worker through which they dispatched one official-looking message intended for an employee of the DHS during September last. The recipient had followed one web-link given within that letter that let the hackers distribute spam mails from his hacked account as well as view information within it. www.republican-eagle.com posted this, January 31, 2019.

Lourey further stated it was not right away clear what all details the hacker managed accessing. However, private data regarding a good 3,000 people could have gotten hijacked.

Just after one day of the occurrence of the security breach, the IT Services of Minnesota put the e-mail account under security as well as started an investigation into the hack. The authorities delivered the investigation's results to the DHS in 2018. Following that, the department engaged one private contractor whose job was to figure out which details were compromised.

Lourey's correspondence to the legislators stated the DHS respected as well as valued Minnesotans' privacy while truly regretted the incident's aftermath in terms of any worries else negative impacts that had possibly caused to the residents. Legislators are planning one scheme of expansive notification requirements in an instance of data with any government agency getting hacked.

» SPAMfighter News - 2/5/2019