Governor McKee Held Press Conference on RIBridges Data Breach
PROVIDENCE, RI — Today, Governor Dan McKee was joined by state officials to hold a media availability on the RI Bridges data breach.
Unfortunately, Deloitte has informed us that the cybercriminal released at least some RIBridges files to a site on the dark web. This is a scenario that the State has been preparing for, which is why earlier this month we launched a statewide outreach strategy to encourage potentially impacted Rhode Islanders to protect their personal information. Right now, IT teams are working diligently to analyze the released files. This is a complex process and we do not yet know the scope of the data that is included in those files, but as we’ve been saying for several weeks, we should assume that data contained in the RIBridges system has been compromised.
While this data has been compromised, that does not mean it has been used for identity theft purposes—yet. That is why we urge Rhode Islanders to take these five simple steps to protect your financial information now.
1. Freeze Your Credit: Reach out to all three credit reporting agencies to freeze your credit. This is free and means no one else can take out a loan or establish credit in your name. You won’t lose access to your money or credit cards. You can lift the freeze at any time.
NEW: If minors have received benefits or services from these programs, their guardians should also take steps to freeze and monitor the children’s credit.
2. Monitor Your Credit: Contact one of the three credit reporting agencies to order a free credit report. You can also access a free credit report through AnnualCreditReport.com.
3. Request a Fraud Alert: Ask one of the credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on your files. This is free and lets creditors know to contact you before any new accounts can be opened in your name. Asking one agency to do this will cover this step for all three agencies.
4. Use Multi-factor Authentication: This means instead of having just one password to access your information, you have a safety backup to help prove that it’s really you before you can log into your account.
5. Be Aware: Because of the breach, you may receive fake emails, phone calls or texts that look legitimate. Remember, never share personal information – such as your social security number, date of birth or password – through an unsolicited e-mail, call or text.
The latest updates on the situation and information on how to reach credit reporting agencies are available online at cyberalert.ri.gov. You can also find information on how to protect minors.
The State is working with Deloitte to generate the list of impacted individuals. Once we have that information, we will send letters to those individuals with instructions on how to access free credit monitoring. We understand that this situation is concerning, and we appreciate Rhode Islanders’ patience as we continue to navigate this challenge together.
