The state of Maine has begun notifying people whose personal information was included in a data breach affecting as many as 1.3 million individuals, state officials announced Thursday.
The alerts began after the government completed an assessment when it discovered hackers were exploiting a vulnerability in a widely used file transfer software. Other public authorities, large pension funds and private companies have also been affected by a Russian ransomware gang’s so-called supply chain hack of the MOVEit software.
The specific type of data depended on the individual, but could include their date of birth, driver’s license number, social security number and health and medical information.
The state said it began taking steps to fix the vulnerability, engaging with experts and legal counsel and conducting evaluations after being alerted on May 31 of the widespread breach.
The state created a website dedicated to the breach. People are encouraged to call a toll-free number to check if their critical information was accessed. If it was then the state will provide free credit monitoring.
