South Carolina
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Posted on 10/27/2012 10:20:13 PM PDT by Between the Lines
The U.S. Secret Service detected a security breach at the S.C. Department of Revenue on Oct. 10, but it took state officials 10 days to close the attacker’s access and another six days to inform the public that 3.6 million Social Security numbers had been compromised.
The attack also exposed 387,000 credit and debit card numbers. The stolen data included other information people file with their tax returns such as names and addresses. Businesses’ taxpayer identification numbers also potentially have been comprised in the attack that is being described as one of the nation’s largest against a state agency.
The attack affects tax returns as far back as 1998, the Revenue Department said. But not all of the department’s data – so not every taxpayer – was affected, it said.
Most of the data had not been encrypted, meaning the hacker would not need a key to a secret code to read the stolen data.
Revenue director James Etter said none of the Social Security numbers were encrypted and about 16,000 credit card numbers were not encrypted.
“That was not part of the system at that point,” Etter said during Gov. Nikki Haley’s press conference Friday to announce the breach. “That’s something we’ll be looking into.”
Officials, including State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, said the millions of affected S.C. taxpayers had not been notified sooner because agents needed to reach “certain benchmarks in their investigation.”
Keel said it took time to determine how much data had been compromised. And investigators needed time to gather evidence that could lead to prosecution.
It is not known how the security breach has affected taxpayers and whether or how the hacker might have used the data.
(Excerpt) Read more at thestate.com ...
*facepalm*
That’s most of the state population of SC.
Lovely..............
Imagine the hacking that will go on once ObamaCare kicks in. The hackers will know everything there is to know about everybody.
Barry looking for a new number?
So THIS is how the dems will pay all their convention bills!!!
OOOPS! I did a “Biden”!!!
It was in North Carolina...but, then...maybe the dems forgot, too, and hacked the wrong state.
Of possible interest to you.
Tip of the iceberg. This has been going on for almost a year now... IRS, SSA, and other agencies. Lots of money going to offshore banks (checks being sent to addresses updated in their computers). They’ve been trying to keep it quiet, and so far they’re doing well at that.
This is it.
There need to be state specific taxpayer identification numbers that have nothing to do with Federal social security numbers, except deep in the well guarded bowels of the revenue departments. Probably some contractor’s PC got snatched, if it’s like a lot of these past breaches.
Inside job if you ask me. Bulk SS# + DOB probably sell well on the Black Market.
My wife’s SS retirement direct deposit got rerouted to Bank of Columbia. The gal at the SS office said it’s been happening to millions since last year. She got reimbursed, but a lot of money is going somewhere. And yes, it’s probably an inside job... with orders from up high to keep it quiet.
I did some sub-contracting for DOR a couple of years back for a few weeks.
They had an insane and barely workable data migration procedure for their systems. The routine was 4 pages long and under no circumstances could you write down any passwords. Saving them on phones was OK.
There were 6 or so MIS types plus the supervisor who was basically ok. 4 of the others were first rate jerks. Two others were actually normal people who wouldn’t go bananas if one said hello to them.
numbers hacked = Sold $$$$
South Carolina
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