FBI investigates COVID-19 test info breach in South Dakota: 5 things to know

The FBI is investigating a state data breach in South Dakota that may have exposed information about people who tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Rapid City Journal.

Four details:

1. The Department of Public Safety Fusion Center database was breached on June 19, according to a letter sent on Aug. 17 to people whose information was exposed. The fusion center database is used to share COVID-19 patient information with local police in order to protect the police, according to the Journal.

2. The fusion center's database is hosted on Netsential.com, a web development firm that serves law enforcement and fusion centers nationwide. Netsential developed an online portal for the fusion center, which had a list of COVID-19 positive individuals, according to the Journal.

3. Netsential included labels on the file with COVID-19 test results that would let a third party identify their status if the patient were removed from the system, according to the report.

4. The FBI is leading an investigation of the security breach.

5. South Dakota's Public Safety Department notified affected individuals in August after Netsential failed to do so two months after the breach, according to the Journal.

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