77% of South Carolina Residents Exposed

Last Friday, the South Carolina Department of Revenue reported taxpayer records were hacked, exposing 3.6 million Social Security numbers and 387,000 credit and debit card numbers.[1] According to the report, investigators discovered several intrusions attempts between August and October 16 of this year. The hacker obtained Social Security numbers and credit numbers from records filed as far back as 1998.

“The number of records breached requires an unprecedented, large-scale response by the Department of Revenue, the State of South Carolina and all our citizens,” said Governor Nikki Haley. “We are taking immediate steps to protect the taxpayers of South Carolina, including providing one year of credit monitoring and identity protection to those affected.”

On October 10, the South Carolina Division of Information Technology alerted the South Carolina Department of Revenue that a potential breach had occurred. The state immediately investigated the breach and established a plan of action, which initially focused working with state and federal agencies to find and seal the hole. By October 20, the vulnerability was closed.

The state waited two weeks to announce the breach. This pause was normal protocol, focusing on eliminating risks and identifying intruders before information goes pubic. While the state has yet to identify the attackers, it is believed the attack came from a foreign source.

The state has set up a website and help line for South Carolina taxpayers to determine if their information is affected. South Carolina taxpayers can visit protectmyid.com/scdor or call 1-866-578-5422 for complimentary credit monitoring service.

[1] See SC Department of Revenue Responds to Cyber Attack, Will Provide Credit Monitoring and Identity Theft Protection to Taxpayers