[T]he Vermont Department of Labor reported a security breach on Tuesday evening.
A third party vendor, America’s Joblink Alliance, which operates a nationwide web-based database called Joblink, notified the state that the job seeker service had been compromised by malicious software. Joblink is used by nine other states.
The scope of the breach has not yet been determined.
Joblink was not tied to any other State of Vermont systems.
The systematic breach was designed to extract data from Joblink, according to a press release from the Labor Department.
It is unknown whether the malware was deliberately used to infect the system or if it was unintentionally introduced by a jobseeker with an infected computer, officials said.
The system has been fixed and is now secure. America’s Joblink Alliance is evaluating the scope of the breach. The company has hired a third-party vendor, RSA, to perform a forensic analysis. In addition, Joblink is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
At this time, analysts do not known which accounts were compromised. Private information such as names and Social Security numbers could have been extracted.
Joblinks notified the Vermont Department of Labor after the system was fixed.
The state advises Joblink users to review bank, credit and debit card statements and report any suspicious activity.
The following theft protection information was provided by the Vermont Department of Labor.
Call the credit reporting agency at the number listed if you find:
Accounts you did not open.
Inquiries from creditors that you did not initiate.
Inaccurate personal information, such as home address and Social Security number.
If you do find suspicious activity on your credit reports or other statements, call your local law enforcement office and file a report of identity theft. Get a copy of the police report. You may need to give copies of this report to the creditors to help clear up your records, and also to access some services that are free to identity theft victims.
If you find suspicious activity on your credit reports or on other account statements consider placing a fraud alert on your credit files so creditors will contact you before opening new accounts.
You may obtain information about preventing and avoiding identity theft from the Vermont Attorney General’s Office at 802 656-3183 (1-800-649-2424 toll free in Vermont only).
Even if you do not find suspicious activity on your credit report or other account statements it is important that you check your credit report for the next two years. More information about fighting identity theft, placing a security freeze, and obtaining a free copy of your credit report is available on the Vermont Attorney General’s website at http://ago.vermont.gov/focus/consumer-info/privacy-and-data-security1.php. Another resource is the Federal Trade Commission website, http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft.
