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In a recent development, it has come to light that an APT group managed to infiltrate the city of Dallas’ digital infrastructure, gaining unauthorized access to sensitive personal data belonging to a minimum of 26,212 residents of Texas.
The data compromised in this cyber incident encompassed a wide range of confidential information, including individuals’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, medical records, and health insurance details.
The Timeline
The breach, which occurred as a result of a ransomware attack, was officially disclosed on Monday on the Texas Attorney General’s website. This revelation follows a three-month period since the initial breach occurred.
The attack, which has negatively impacted various city services for an extended duration, was initially communicated to the public by Dallas officials on May 3. Throughout the subsequent months, the city has refrained from providing extensive specifics, primarily due to an ongoing criminal inquiry.
The city pinpointed the ransomware collective known as Royal as the culprits behind the breach. In a blog post published on May 19, the threat group issued a warning, indicating their intention to make public the addresses, Social Security numbers, medical records, and additional data of employees. However, up until this week, there has been no evidence to suggest that they have acted on this threat. The extent of data extraction from city servers remains uncertain.
Further Details
State regulations mandate that organizations must notify the attorney general’s office of data breaches within 60 days of their identification, although there are specific circumstances under which this requirement can be extended. Law enforcement can request a delay if it is believed that publicizing the breach might impede an ongoing investigation.
To address the fallout, officials are in the process of mailing notifications to employees and residents who may have been impacted by the breach.
Furthermore, for a quicker response to similar situations in the future, a new legislation scheduled to take effect on September 1 will reduce the mandatory notification timeframe to 30 days for organizations that encounter data breaches.
A Quick Word from Heimdal®
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Feel free to ask for a demo to witness its capabilities firsthand.
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