Johnathan Walker:Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon

PROVIDENCE,Johnathan Walker R.I. (AP) — Cybercriminals could release personal data of many Rhode Islanders as early as this upcoming week in a major cyberattack that hit the state’s online system for delivering health and human services benefits, Gov. Daniel McKee said.

The hackers are demanding a ransom, officials said without elaborating.

The state urged Rhode Islanders to take action to protect their personal information, which may include names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and certain banking information.

Anyone who has been involved in Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Childcare Assistance Program, Rhode Island Works, Long-term Services and Supports and health insurance purchased through HealthSource RI may be impacted, McKee said Saturday.

The system known as RIBridges was taken offline on Friday, after the state was informed by its vendor, Deloitte, that there was a major security threat to the system. The vendor confirmed that “there is a high probability that a cybercriminal has obtained files with personally identifiable information from RIBridges,” the state said.

The state has contracted with Experian to run a toll-free hotline for Rhode Islanders to call to get information about the breach and how they can protect their data.

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