Hundreds of thousands of residents are in trouble. Their confidential data was leaked

An international group of cybercriminals attacked one of the American states. It looted confidential information about hundreds of thousands of Rhode Islanders who have used or even just applied for public assistance in recent years.

Health system hacked

Hackers broke into the state system called RIBridges, which is used by residents, among other things, to apply for health insurance or drug reimbursement. The system also handled virtually all notifications regarding child care, subsidies for the poorest families and assistance for the disabled. The wide range of solutions available in RIBridges has resulted in hundreds of thousands of residents of this state registering in the system since 2016.

Leakage of confidential data is not everything

The company managing the system, Deloitte, informed the state authorities about the hacker attack on December 5. On December 10, the suspicions about the leak of confidential data, including, among others, insurance numbers and user bank account numbers, were confirmed. As if that were not enough, on December 13, Deloitte made public information that hackers had left behind malware that can steal further information, for example about withdrawals made by the system.

In the official statement issued by Karen Walsh from Deloitte, you can read that “the attack was committed by an international criminal group” and that “the company took immediate action together with local authorities, police and services.”

The hackers demanded a ransom

Brian Tardiff, responsible for Rhode Island’s digital security, admitted that the hackers behind the attack demanded a ransom in exchange for the removal of malware and the return of stolen citizens’ personal data.

The attack came at the worst possible time for many state residents. In December, a lot of payments go through the RIBridges system, related to Christmas aid for residents and the annual settlement of the health care system. Fortunately, state officials confirm that payments are being made and residents are cooperating well with authorities to secure these payments.

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