Hack Might Have Exposed SSNs of Unemployed Oregonians

The breach of a system that stores personal details on people searching for jobs wasn't discovered until an anonymous tipster emailed the Oregon Employment Department on Oct. 6.

The agency waited until late afternoon on Oct. 10 to tell the public.

“The hit exposed ongoing vulnerabilities within the Employment Department's information technology division, which wasted millions of dollars on failed computer software projects that launched in the aftermath of the recession,” the Oregonian reports.

The tipster informed the agency that its WorkSource Oregon Management Information System, which unemployed Oregonians use to register for the state's job search services, was hacked.

The database stores personal information commonly used on job applications, such as names, addresses and SSNs.

The breach potentially could impact 1.3 million users who have at some point turned to the state for help finding jobs.

Department spokeswoman Andrea Fogue said officials prioritized blocking further access to the information, then worked to understand more about what happened and who was affected.