From the North Dakota Information Technology Department, yesterday:
ITD has completed its investigation stemming from a cyber-attack that occurred on an ITD-hosted server earlier this summer. Upon identifying the attack, ITD immediately secured the server, locked down the data, and started an investigation.
Since that time, the department has been working with federal and state agencies to determine the scope of the breach and to alert those individuals whose personal information may have been compromised. There is no evidence that the cyber-attackers moved or duplicated any personally identifiable information.
An initial investigation determined that Workforce Safety and Insurance data was affected. Letters were sent to those who were impacted and identity repair services and free credit reports were made available. Final forensics determined that two additional state agencies had personal information on the compromised server and may have been affected by the cyber-attack.
Final forensics revealed that information on approximately 950 members in the Teachers’ Fund for Retirement (TFFR), or less than 5 percent of the more than 20,000 fund members, was also potentially affected by the cyber-attack. Information may have included: name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, service credit, salary, and pension benefit amount.
Additionally, information on about 145 North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) volunteers was potentially affected. Information may have included: name, address, maiden name, date of birth and Social Security number.
Again, there is no evidence that any personally identifiable information was moved or duplicated during the cyber-attack. Letters are being sent to all individuals included in the TFFR and NDDoH files so they can take steps to proactively protect themselves.
AllClear ID, a nationally-recognized company that specializes in identity repair, has been contacted to provide free credit repair services to individuals for one year. This service is automatically available with no enrollment required. If a problem arises, AllClear ID will do the work to recover financial losses, restore credit and make sure an individual’s identity is returned to its proper condition. AllClear ID maintains an A+ rating at the Better Business Bureau. AllClear ID can be contacted at (855) 861-4022.
For questions regarding the overall incident, please contact ITD at (701) 328-3190 or via our online contact form.
For questions regarding TFFR call (701) 328-9885.
For questions regarding NDDoH call (701) 328-2372.