Scary: Hack of Maine Agencies Affected More Than 1 Million People

Doesn't it seem like every other day we are hearing about a new hacking attack that has compromised the personal information of tens of thousands of people.  However, in most cases, the hack only affects the people who do business with certain businesses or organizations.  Often, these are very specific businesses.

Sadly, that is not the case this time around.  This hack is far more wide-ranging.

According to the KJ, a Russian gang's cyber attack of Maine agencies has potentially compromised the personal data of about 1.3 million people.

The article explains that the incident, which experts are calling a "global cybersecurity incident", took place on May 28th and May 29th of 2023.  The hack involved a file transfer tool called MOVEit.

The hack reportedly exposed the personal information of half of the employees at the Maine State Department of Health and Human Services and as many as 30% of those who work at the Department of Education.

Other agencies affected include the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Office of the Controller;  Workers’ Compensation; Bureau of Motor Vehicles; Department of Corrections, Department of Economic and Community Development, Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Human Resources, Department of Professional and Financial Regulation and Department of Labor, and the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation.

Why did it take so long for the hack to come to light?  Well, after it was noticed that the agencies had been hacked, government IT specialists went to work trying to figure out exactly what files were compromised.

Now that they have identified the affected files, they have started the process of notifying those individuals whose personal information may have been compromised.

If you did not receive a notification, but are still concerned that you may have been part of the breach, there is a website you can use to get more information about the breach.  Find it HERE.  Alternatively, you can call 877.618.3659 between 9 AM and 9 PM Monday through Friday.