Cyber attack leaves 3.6 million social security numbers exposed

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has confirmed that foreign hackers attacked the South Carolina Department of Revenue, stealing 3.6 million social security numbers and 387,000 credit and debit card numbers.

For the cards, 16,000 were unencrypted, but the exposed social security numbers will affect 78 percent of all of South Carolina's population.

Says Haley: "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."

If you have filed a tax return in the state since 1998, the Governor is urging you to call 1-866-578-5422. If your number was exposed, you will be given a free year of identity theft protection through Experian's ProtectMyID service.

Authorities say the attack was definitely foreign, and the FBI and Secret Service have joined in the investigation.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 Oct 2012 13:23

Mrguss

Welcome to #OpJubilee

+5000

27.10.2012 19:33 #1

borhan9

Wow seems really worked hard to manage to get all these details.
Im glad im in Australia has not happened but we get Credit card hacks and all that.
Seems that the double whammy of the FBI and the Secret Service is out to find the culprits but it may take ages even if they get anywhere.

Edited by DVDBack23

"the mediocre teacher tells. the good teacher explains. the superior teacher demonstrates. the great teacher inspires."- William Aruthur Ward

28.10.2012 05:43 #2

LordRuss

Personally, I'm not so sure I've heard of Alphabet societies catching any of these foreign thieves. Not that I'm trying to be a Negative Nancy here, but when they do catch someone there is usually some kind of pomp & circumstance about the arrests.

I certainly wouldn't want to be the victim of identity theft. I've seen it happen to a colleague, albeit on a lesser scale, but still damaging none the less.

The governor here is talking about records from 1998. That's rather extensive if you ask me.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

28.10.2012 14:53 #3

xtago

The FBI have busted the USA top tier of Anonymous.

The problem is you won't hear about it until it's way too late to not get busted they would pick these people up very quick.

The problem is the last set of hacks were just to companies and stuff nothing major for a gov to chase down but now that social security numbers have been taken and getting handed out.

The US will be after and probably already grabbed a few people, I would expect people in over seas countries to disappear and/or suddenly be in the US to be killed or sent to jail for life.

Till now the US gov will have been nice about things I would say that will have just changed big time.

The problem with these numbers is that you can pretend to be that person, and go and apply for loans in or outside the USA and if you get the loans, the real person will have to pay the loans out for the pretend people.

29.10.2012 01:37 #4

xboxdvl2

depends on where the hackers are located usa may or may not catch them,not all countries are happy with usa government goons bothering there citizens.as for people taking loans pretty sure you need photo id to get one here in australia.

i have the big screen tv,a ps3 and im gonna surround sound to go with it soon hopefully.car still runs smooth and computer still works but its a bit outdated.

29.10.2012 02:32 #5

LordRuss

Originally posted by xtago: The FBI have busted the USA top tier of Anonymous.

The problem is you won't hear about it until it's way too late to not get busted they would pick these people up very quick.
Uhm, I'm not exactly being argumentative - because I forgot about the Anon arrests, but if memory serves, those guys weren't 'exactly' top tier. I think they were pretty much pawns in the whole scheme of things to be honest.

And the arrests were a bit hasty in that the public was in rage to see some arrests, so frankly anyone paraded with cuffs & a Vendetta mask would have sufficed.

And no, I'm not making light of your comments. My point is that Anon is still making a lot of noise out there to have supposedly some pretty heavy hitters locked in a cage deep in the bowels of the earth somewhere.

Not to mention, weren't some of the Anon attacks being confused/pinned to actual theft instead of activism? It's hard to discern what they're doing from one month to the other these days. And that is indeed 1 (one) group as apposed to a single Nigerian prince trying to save his family's fortune & like Smokey Bear said, "Only you can help..."

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

29.10.2012 12:11 #6

Zoo_Look

One whole year of free identity theft protection. I always thought that state departments were required BY LAW to prevent your details being taken for the entire time they have them...

Guess I was wrong...

1.11.2012 11:06 #7

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