Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File
Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum address the House Finance Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. Crum on Thursday discussed a cyberattack that had compromised Alaskans’ information. Crum said because of an ongoing criminal investigation the entity responsible for the attack and the exact information compromised could not be revealed. Free credit monitoring will be offered to eligible Alaskans following the announcement of the cyberattack. DHSS is one of several state departments to have cybersecurity breaches in the past year.

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum address the House Finance Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. Crum on Thursday discussed a cyberattack that had compromised Alaskans’ information. Crum said because of an ongoing criminal investigation the entity responsible for the attack and the exact information compromised could not be revealed. Free credit monitoring will be offered to eligible Alaskans following the announcement of the cyberattack. DHSS is one of several state departments to have cybersecurity breaches in the past year.

State offers free credit monitoring following data breach

Health department information accessed, state says

Free credit monitoring services will be made available to Alaskans starting Sept. 27, following a cyberattack on the Department of Health and Social Services. Authorities said the attack is believed to have breached databases containing residents’ protected information.

Because of an ongoing criminal investigation, exact details of who’s behind the attack and exactly what information was accessed is not being shared at this time,DHSS Commissioner Adam Crum said Thursday in a news conference. However, DHSS said databases accessed contained information protected under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Alaska Personal Information Protection Act. Federal law requires Alaskans be notified that their information may have been compromised.

Crum said at the news conference that beginning Sept. 27 emails with instructions on how to apply for free credit monitoring would be sent to Alaskans who’ve submitted Alaska Permanent Fund dividend applications. In a statement, the department said that same day a toll-free phone number would set up to help Alaskans with their applications between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m.

“It is a fair statement to say that any Alaskan could have been compromised by this,” Crum said.

[113,000 Alaskan voter IDs exposed in data breach]

DHSS said the breach was conducted by a highly sophisticated, state-sponsored entity and has retained the services of cybersecurity companies FireEye and Mandiant. According to DHSS, FireEye said the attacker was “a highly sophisticated group known to conduct complex cyberattacks against organizations that include state governments and health care entities.”

At several points in the news conference, Crum said he could not answer certain questions about the identity of the attacker, and cited the ongoing criminal investigation. An FAQ provided by DHSS refers to the attacker as “nation-state sponsored.”

Crum did say cybersecurity experts believe the attack is no longer ongoing and that the attacker has been removed from DHSS systems. However, DHSS was forced to shut down its databases and revert to manual input of information, Crum said, which has been very time consuming for staff.

Some DHSS databases have been restored, but the shutdown has led to large backlogs of requests for various vital records such as birth certificates and marriage certificates.

The breach was originally announced in May when DHSS took many of its systems offline. DHSS is not the only state department to be the victim of a malware attack. Also in May, then-Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court Joel Bolger announced the court was a victim of a cybersecurity attack.

In December 2020, the Alaska Division of Elections announced it had been attacked and that potentially 113,000 Alaskans’ voter information was exposed.

Contact reporter Peter Segall at psegall@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SegallJnuEmpire.

More in News

Commercial fishers speak to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission during a public hearing on a proposed regulation change to add dipnets to the east side setnet fishery at Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association in Kenai, Alaska, on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
CFEC hears from setnetters on dipnet proposal at Kenai hearing

The CFEC gave emergency approval to the gear in May but decided in June not to approve dipnets as permanent gear

Signs and supporters line the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Local races unchanged after 1st major update of election results

The additional votes represent early ballots that were cast ahead of Election Day but after an Oct. 31 deadline

tease
Man arrested for 3 shooting incidents at reproductive clinic, recovery org

Homer’s Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic was targeted twice Monday

Students sing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” at Mountain View Elementary in Kenai, Alaska, during a celebration of Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Mountain View Elementary recognizes Veterans Day

During a celebration of Veterans Day at Mountain View Elementary School on… Continue reading

The Kenai Municipal Airport is seen on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai misses out on grant for proposed Seattle air service

City officials look to reapply next year

The Kenai Peninsula College main entrance on Aug. 18, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Chiappone and Dunstan to speak at the KPC Showcase

Kenai Peninsula College continues its showcase with two new speakers this week and next

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, talks about issues of concern regarding the proposed merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons during a floor speech in the House chamber on Wednesday. (Screenshot from official U.S. House of Representatives video feed)
Begich leads in early results, but Alaska’s U.S. House race won’t be immediately decided

About 245,000 ballots had been counted by 11:32 p.m., and Peltola trailed by about 5 percentage points

The Alaska governor’s mansion on Wednesday. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is considered a contender for a post in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Election summary: Trump wins, GOP takes over U.S. Senate, Alaska may get new governor

Begich and repeal of ranked choice voting narrowly lead; GOP may lose control of state House.

Most Read