Louisiana big data breach: personal safety appeal

Demetrice Rogers, a cybersecurity expert and adjunct professor at Tulane University's School of Professional Advancement, expressed her concern about the sharing of personal data of Louisianans on the dark web, following a large data breach. As public attention focuses on the problem, he urged the public to take steps to protect their credit and government benefits. Meanwhile, an organization that works with older adults has taken steps to help them safeguard their personal information.

Details of the data breach

Rogers described this as one of the biggest violations he has ever personally seen. According to the head of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergencies, the breach compromised more than 6 million Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicle records. Malicious actors recently attacked MOVEit, a managed file transfer software used by several organizations, both governmental and private. Rogers explained how the suspected ransomware attack group operates on the "dark web," where any Louisiana resident with state-issued driver's licenses, ID cards or car registrations is likely to have had their sensitive personal information exposed.

Credit protection and fraud prevention

Following the cyberattack, Rogers believes it is essential to freeze credit. He advises the public to visit all three major credit bureaus and set a blockade, to prevent new accounts from being opened in their name. He also urged the public to change the passwords of all online accounts, as he noticed that numerous financial institutions were listed on the dark web.

Strengthen the security of seniors and institutions

The breach raises concerns about seniors who may not be aware of the breach or how to protect their information. Howard Rodgers, executive director of the New Orleans Council on Aging, stressed the importance of informing seniors about the data breach and sent an email to all centers and individuals subscribed to their email service to warn them. Rogers agrees that criminals may be trying to target Social Security benefits. She suggested checking with Social Security and the IRS to ensure no one is claiming additional benefits or filing false tax returns in their name. Finally, the state government has updated the software with vendor-provided patches, however Rogers warns that hackers are constantly working to break into systems.