ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland officials urge residents to implement identity protection measures in response to a vast cyber-attack. The Maryland Department of Human Services is among an unspecified number of national organizations that were victims of the MOVEit data breach, believed to be linked to a security loophole in a file transfer tool. The breach occurred at a third-party vendor engaged by the state.
At this juncture, no signs indicate that any purloined data has been sold, used, disseminated, or disclosed, nor has the State of Maryland received any contact from the culprits.
Governor Wes Moore has ordered the Department of Information Technology’s Office of Security Management to conduct an exhaustive investigation to ascertain if more state agencies might be impacted. In conjunction with the department, the Governor’s Office will persist in surveying for vulnerabilities, effecting security patching, and coordinating the response among state agencies and potentially affected entities.
State agency IT points of contact, emergency coordinators, and local emergency managers have been advised to heed the advisory issued by the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. They are expected to install any necessary patches to counter possible vulnerabilities with the assistance of the Department of Information Technology.
Maryland residents are being prompted to stay alert and may adopt the following measures to monitor and secure their identity:
Change Online Passwords Online account passwords, including those for banking, social media, and healthcare portals, should be changed. The use of multi-factor authentication is recommended wherever possible. More about password protection can be found here.
Prevent Unauthorized New Account Openings or Loans and Monitor Your Credit To prevent identity theft, residents can freeze and unfreeze their credit for free, preventing others from opening new accounts or borrowing money in their name. Freezing your credit does not affect using any existing credit cards or bank accounts. The three major credit bureaus can facilitate credit freezing quickly online or by phone:
Experian: 1-888-397-3742 or online Equifax: 1-800-685-1111 or online TransUnion: (888) 909-8872 or online.
Residents can also request their credit reports from these agencies to monitor for suspicious activities.
Protect Your Tax Refund and Returns with the Internal Revenue Service To stop someone else from filing returns or claiming your federal tax refund; residents can request an “Identity Protection Pin” from the Internal Revenue Service here or by calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
Check Your Social Security Benefits To prevent theft of social security benefits, eligible individuals should consider registering for an ssa.gov account. If you suspect Social Security fraud, contact the Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-800-269-0271, Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213, or file a complaint online.
Report Suspected Identity Theft If residents suspect abnormal activity involving their data, they should contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP or online immediately.
The situation is ongoing, and further information will be made available as the matter develops.
For additional guidelines on safeguarding your data and identity, visit www.IdentityTheft.gov.