Incident Details
Maine's state agencies were targeted by cybercriminals who took advantage of a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer software, marking them as the newest victims in the expanding roster of organizations impacted by the widespread breach linked to the program. Around 1.3 million people, essentially the entirety of the state's population, were affected by the security breach. The state became aware of the software vulnerability on May 31st after detecting unauthorized access and downloads of files by hackers from its different agencies on May 28th and 29th.
Incident
How Did the Breach Happen?
Cybercriminals took advantage of a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer tool, resulting in a breach.
What Data has been Compromised?
Personal data such as names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver's license and state identification numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, and medical and health insurance details of people were exposed.
Why Did the company's Security Measures Fail?
The security protocols of the organization were breached due to cybercriminals taking advantage of a weakness in the MOVEit file transfer software.
What Immediate Impact Did the Breach Have on the company?
Around 1.3 million people in Maine were affected by the security breach.
How could this have been prevented?
The breach could have been avoided if the software vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer tool had been promptly fixed.
What have we learned from this data breach?
The data breach has highlighted the significance of upholding strong security protocols and promptly fixing any software weaknesses to avoid unauthorized entry.
Summary of Coverage
Maine's state agencies faced a data breach due to cybercriminals taking advantage of a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer tool. About 1.3 million people were affected by the breach, exposing their personal details such as names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver's license and state identification numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, as well as certain medical and health insurance information. This incident underscores the importance for organizations to quickly fix software weaknesses and uphold robust security protocols to safeguard confidential information.