Peninsula Clarion

State cybersecurity officials said during a press briefing Thursday that they’re still determining the damage caused by a hack to the Department of Health and Social Services system early last summer.

Adam Crum, the commissioner of the DHSS, said the cybersecurity team recognized the issue in May and have been managing the attack throughout the summer.

According to a press release about the incident, the breach was caused by a highly sophisticated cyberattack and involves an unknown number of individuals. These individuals’ personal data — including names, Social Security numbers, health and financial information, addresses — could have been hacked.

Officials also said Thursday that they feel confident restoring some more online services and that the attack is no longer in the system. They also said they haven’t found evidence that the malware hack had moved laterally to any other departments.

Alaskans worried about identity theft can visit identitytheft.gov or call the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-438-4338. Follow up questions can be directed to the DHSS by calling 1-888-484-9355 or emailing privacyofficial@alaska.gov.