Two computers at the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services' Office of Children's Services were infected with a Trojan horse virus July 5 and July 8, according to a Sept. 1 breach notification.
The virus may have compromised the personal information of more than 500 individuals who had prior contact with the Office of Children's Services. Upon discovering the virus, ADHSS took immediate action to mitigate further access to infected computers and to determine the scope of the data breach.
The department has not determined if the cyberattacker accessed confidential information stored on the computers. However, it is possible an unauthorized individual accessed Office of Children's Services documents containing family case files and medical diagnoses, among other personal information.
A preliminary investigation indicated information accessed in this breach possibly originated in the Western region of the state.
"We recognize the severity of this breach, and that's why we notified the public as soon as we knew how potentially far-reaching it could have been," an ADHSS spokesperson told Becker's Hospital Review.
Click here to view the full notification.