Data Breach Blindsides First Responders

Government databases have become a sieve information for hackers looking to get their hands on large quantities of names, Social Security numbers and other personal information that could be used to commit identity theft.

As eSecurity Planet reports, the latest data breach in Louisiana exposed the personal information of more than 56,000 emergency medical technicians and those in training via the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals.

“Although we have no indication that information was actually released, we know that it was accessed,” Tony Keck, deputy secretary at the DHH, said in a statement.

The DHH is in the process of sending out letters to all affected individuals and implemented new security policies, including stronger passwords, to help guard against future breaches.

Officials at the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals this week confirmed that a hacker last month managed to break into a database storing the personal information of more than 56,000 emergency medical technicians and EMT students.

The breach, which is thought to have occurred on Sept. 17, was first discovered by employees with the state’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services after they were mocked by a message on their computer screens that read “You have been hacked.”

Read the full story at eSecurity Planet:


Hacker Infiltrates Louisiana EMT Database