Missouri Department of Social Services warns of Medicaid data breach

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Social Services is warning Medicaid recipients that their data might have fallen into the wrong hands.

DSS was notified about a cyber attack in early June.

The agency says the breach did not affect DSS systems directly, but did impact data that belongs to the department. According to the department, Medicaid recipients' health information may have been accessed.

In a news release, the department said information that may have been accessed includes names, client numbers, dates of birth and medical claims information.

Although the department says it is investigating, it could take some time to learn what data was accessed due to the size and format of the files. Caitlin Whaley, communication director for the department, said at this time, the department has identified that two social security numbers were disclosed, and no banking information.

"It is our responsibility as a covered entity, as the state's Medicaid provider, to make sure that people can take steps to protect themselves in the event that some of their information was (disclosed)," Whaley said.

The cyber-attack occurred in May through a subcontractor, and is not isolated to only Missouri. The software that was compromised, known as MOVEit, was also involved in an attack effecting Medicare recipients. AARP reports that attack in May has put more than 600,000 Medicare recipients at risk.

Even though the state department is making this warning out of an abundance of caution, one financial assistance company said there are things people can do to protect themselves even if they're unsure their information was compromised.

Tasha Bishop with Apprisen said one thing people can do is keep track of banking and credit statements. This includes potentially turning on notifications to be made aware of any activity.

"For a brief time period, it might be a good idea to get alerts on your phone so it's right there, front and center as it's happening," Bishop said. "Because the sooner you can catch something, then the less dramatic the effect is going to be on you."

Other things people can do is check their credit and be aware of potential phishing scams.

"A lot of what the hackers are going to do with your information is try to perpetuate some sort of phishing scam," Bishop said. "So, you just want to be very vigilant about what emails you're opening, what you're clicking in your emails."

To take it a step further or if people learn their information was impacted, she recommends people freeze their credit or put a fraud alert on their account.

Bishop said these cyber-attacks are happening more regularly.

"These attacks are more and more common, and so I don't think it's something that should cause huge anxiety levels," Bishop said. "But, there are things you can do to keep yourself safe in the days and weeks after knowing that your information may have been compromised."

The state has hired, a data breach response company. Anyone with questions or concerns should contact the department.