Rhode Island took its RIBridge system for applying for public assistance programs like Medicaid offline on Friday after a cyberattack that could have exposed the personal data of hundreds of thousands of people. CBS affiliate reports WPRI 12,
With their RIBridges system offline, Rhode Islanders will not be able to log into the RIBridges web portal or app, which is used to apply for Medicaid, food stamps and other state benefits. A government site says Providing updates on violations. Governor Dan McKee said during a Press briefing The attackers may have obtained personal information such as names, addresses and social security numbers of those who used the system from 2019 to now.
Brian Tardif, the state's chief digital officer and chief information officer, who also spoke at the briefing, said the attack is not ransomware but “extortion type activity by this cyber criminal group.”
The attack also affected Rhode Island's healthcare marketplace HealthSource RI. The state hopes to have the system back online before the health care open enrollment period ends on Jan. 31 WPRI Writes. In the meantime, mail-in paper applications and instructions for their use are available in the state Human Services Department website,
Violation updated site says tomorrow, the state will publish a call center number for help with violations, which will be available Sunday from 11am to 8pm ET and then Monday through Friday from 9am to 9pm ET. The Rhode Island government also plans to send affected people instructions for free credit monitoring.