Don't send data to private emails - Texas Health and Human Services Commission reports data leak
Take action: Although this is a simple data leak, it's a great lesson of not sending work data to private accounts. First, you are making yourself work overtime, and if sh*t hits the fan, you will be thrown under the bus. The company won't say thank you.
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The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) reports a data leak that potentially exposed the personal and health information of individuals residing in or near Texarkana and other areas including Tyler, Longview, Marshall, Beaumont, and Nacogdoches.
The incident, affecting up to 3,392 people, was discovered on January 11th, 2024, after it was found that a staff member had sent spreadsheets containing sensitive information to their personal email account during September and October 2023.
Upon further investigation, HHSC confirmed that the spreadsheets included a wide range of confidential data, such as:
- full names,
- home addresses,
- telephone numbers,
- health and financial information,
- in one instance, a Social Security number.
Immediate steps were taken to mitigate the breach, including identifying the confidential information involved and initiating an investigation.
HHSC expressed concern over the possibility that the leaked personal information could have been acquired or viewed by unintended recipients. As a precaution, the commission is offering one year of free credit monitoring services to those impacted by the breach. Affected individuals were notified via first-class mail, and a specific phone number (833-918-7750) was provided for inquiries, available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,
