Eastern European hackers hijack details of 780,000 medicaid users in Utah

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 07:51 EST, 10 April 2012 | Updated: 07:52 EST, 10 April 2012

Hackers who broke into government computers last weekend stole Social Security numbers and other personal information of 780,000  people, including children, who have received public assistance in Utah.

The intrusion exposed the Social Security numbers of about 280,000 individuals to potential theft and compromised less sensitive personal information such as names, addresses and birth dates of an estimated 500,000 others, Utah Department of Health spokesman Tom Hudachko said.

'It's certainly worrisome,' Hudachko said. 'We've got a large amount of people out there whose information potentially is now in the hands of people who shouldn't have it.'

Based on the hacker's IP address Utah's recent attack likely came from eastern Europe

Officials originally estimated that about 182,000 people had their records stolen after someone attacked a server beginning March 30.

The damage toll climbed to 780,000 after investigators found that the exposed data included an additional 605,000 records sent in recent months by healthcare providers to the state seeking to determine patients' Medicaid eligibility.

Hackers who broke into government computers last weekend stole Social Security numbers and other personal information of 780,000 people, including children, who have received public assistance in Utah

The information was stolen from a new server at the Health Department.

Although the state has multiple layers of security on every server, a technician installed a password that wasn't as secure as needed.

While the investigation is ongoing, Hudachko said the department is recommending that every Medicaid client monitor credit reports, bank accounts and other areas the hackers could target with the information.

Monitoring financial accounts and credit reports is an important first step, but somebody who knows their identity has been stolen should also alert the three credit bureaus about potential fraud, said Kirk Torgensen, a chief deputy with the Utah attorney general's office who specializes in identity theft.

Protecting children can be more difficult, since they will normally not have a credit report, credit cards or bank accounts to monitor.

To assist parents, the state has partnered with the credit bureau TransUnion to provide a way for a child's Social Security number to be registered and their credit essentially frozen until they are old enough to need it.

'We understand clients are worried about who may have accessed their personal information, and that many of them feel violated by having their information compromised,' said Michael Hales, deputy director of the Health Department. 'But we also hope they understand we are doing everything we can to protect them from further harm.'

Based on the hacker's IP address, which identifies a computer on the Internet, Utah's recent attack likely came from eastern Europe.

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