18 Apr County Reports Data Breach That May Have Exposed Personal Information

(Contra Costa County via Bay City News)

By Bay City News

Contra Costa County is reporting a data breach that may have exposed personal information located in county employee email accounts.

An investigation determined that an unauthorized person accessed the county employees’ email accounts “at various times” between June 24, 2021, and August 12, 2021. According to the county, the investigation did not determine whether any emails or attachments in the accounts were accessed or downloaded by the unauthorized individual. “However, the county was not able to rule out the possibility,” they said.

The breach exposed “certain county employee emails” as well as individuals who communicated with the county’s Employment and Human Services Department. This information contained names, social security numbers, driver’s license or state-issued I.D. numbers, financial account numbers, passport numbers and medical information and/or health insurance information.

The county sent out letters Friday to people they believe may have had personal information in the email accounts. The county is also providing information about the incident and steps those affected can take, a spokesperson for the county said.

The county says it is offering free credit monitoring to eligible individuals.

Contra Costa County has set up a toll-free call center line for people to call with questions about this incident, they said. Residents can also call to confirm whether or not their data may have been exposed. The number to call is (855) 604-1854, Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The county’s website also has information at www.contracosta.ca.gov.

Contra Costa said it has implemented additional safeguards in the wake of this incident and will “continue to make further enhancements to the security of its computer systems and protocols.”

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