Pennsylvania AG Office Warns Residents of Personal Data Breach

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office has issued a warning regarding a recent data breach that has affected residents across the state. This breach, identified as a cyber incident, may have compromised personal data such as social security numbers.

Pennsylvania Data Breach Details

The breach was detected on August 9, following a period during which the office’s website, email services, and phone lines experienced significant downtime. While the Attorney General’s Office confirmed this incident, they also stated that there is currently no evidence suggesting that the stolen information has been misused.

Notification and Support for Affected Residents

Residents who were potentially affected by this breach started receiving notifications on Friday. In response to the situation, the Attorney General’s Office is offering identity protection services to those impacted. Residents seeking further information about the breach can visit the El-Balad website.

Background on 911 Outage

This cyber incident follows a 911 outage in Pennsylvania that occurred on July 12. During that time, residents faced difficulties when trying to reach emergency services. However, officials clarified that this outage was not related to the recent data breach and was due to a technical issue instead.

Emergency Response to Previous Outage

In response to the 911 disruptions, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) took immediate action. According to Jeff Boyle, PEMA’s executive deputy director, they activated the Emergency Alert System and issued Wireless Emergency Alerts. These steps ensured that residents were informed of the situation and reminded to save their county’s non-emergency 911 contact information in case of future incidents.

Important Takeaways

• Data breach detected: August 9.
• Personal information may have been compromised, including social security numbers.
• No evidence of misuse reported to date.
• Identity protection services offered to affected individuals.
• Previous 911 outage: July 12, unrelated to data breach.

Residents are encouraged to monitor their personal information and utilize available resources to safeguard their identities following this breach. For more updates, visit El-Balad regularly.