CC Numbers Stolen From RI Website

A Rhode Island state government website used by residents to register vehicles and obtain state permits was ransacked for thousands of credit card numbers, The Associated Press reported on Friday.

According to state officials, some 4,118 credit card numbers had probably been stolen from the site at http://www.ri.gov.  All online transactions were halted Friday until any security issues could be identified and addressed.

The private company that operated the site, New England Interactive, first told state officials in late December that less than 10 credit card numbers had been taken during a security breach.  Beverly Najarion, Department of Administration Director, said Thursday that it was more likely that thousands had been stolen.

Najarian said the state did not first notify residents of the breach because it appeared to be a minor incident and New England Interactive said it had improved its security controls.

The breach was discovered when a security company found a post on a Russian website that claimed its author had stolen 53,000 credit card numbers from Rhode Island.

State officials have decided to mail affected card holders notices explaining the situation, though no fraudelent cards have been reported as of yet.

For CSO’s advice on how to prepare for and prevent date breaches, read When the Dike Breaks: Responding to the Inevitable Data Breach.

-Al Sacco