According to officials, hundreds of Rhode Island residents could potentially be impacted by a cyberattack on the state’s online portal for social services, with a “high probability” that personally identifiable information may have been compromised.
According to Governor Dan McKee’s office, the program focuses on supporting RI Bridges, a critical resource that Rhode Island residents rely on for accessing and managing healthcare services, including those provided through Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The attack also targeted the Healthsource RI insurance marketplace. When a data breach occurs at McKee’s workplace, it’s possible that anyone who has received or used healthcare services and benefits might be affected.
The compromised data could potentially contain sensitive information such as names, physical addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, and financial details.
The RIBridges system, operated by Deloitte, initially alerted the state to a potential cyberattack on December 5, but at that time, it was unclear whether sensitive information had actually been compromised. Deloitte announced on Friday, December 13, that malicious code had infiltrated its system, prompting an urgent collaboration with the state to proactively shut down the system and mitigate the threat.
While the state temporarily restricts digital applications, Rhode Island residents may still utilize paper forms to apply for benefits.
At a press conference on Friday, State Chief Digital Officer Brian Tardiff revealed that cybercriminals claiming responsibility for the attack are demanding a ransom in exchange for not releasing the stolen data.
