Data breach at Minnesota Human Services Department may have compromised personal information for 4,000

The department said Friday they’ve had no evidence the personal information was downloaded or misused.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
August 31, 2024 at 12:14AM
FILE - A Social Security card is displayed on Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. About 71 million people including retirees, disabled people and children receive Social Security benefits. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
FILE - A Social Security card is displayed on Oct. 12, 2021, in Tigard, Ore. Personal information for more than 4,300 people may have been compromised in a data breach within the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the agency announced Friday. The information includes full names, dates of birth, contact information, treatment information, medical diagnoses, demographic data and Social Security numbers. (Jenny Kane, Associated Press file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Personal information for more than 4,300 people may have been compromised in a data breach within the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the agency said Friday.

The breach came as a result of an email phishing attempt on July 2. The next day, an employee’s email account was “secured” after officials learned of the incident, the department said.

It said the hacker may have accessed full names, dates of birth, contact information, treatment information, medical diagnoses, demographic data and Social Security numbers for 4,329 people.

“We have no evidence that this information was actually downloaded or misused,” the department said.

The department has sent letters to individuals whose information was potentially accessed.

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about the writer

Elliot Hughes

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Elliot Hughes is a general assignment reporter for the Star Tribune.

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