Response to Recent Cybersecurity Incident
Thorough Investigation Has Found No Information Misused; Affected Customers Offered Free Credit Monitoring
Earlier this year, at the request of the Maryland Department of Labor, the Maryland Department of Information Technology—the agency overseeing all state information technology functions and policies—initiated an investigation and determined that files stored on the Literacy Works Information System and a legacy unemployment insurance service database were subject to possible unauthorized access through the Internet.
Upon notification of the possibility of unauthorized access, Maryland DoIT implemented countermeasures and initiated an investigation. Working with the Department of Labor, Maryland DoIT also notified law enforcement and retained an independent expert to investigate how the information was accessed. A full review of the department’s protocols and security measures has been completed to prevent future incidents.
While some personally identifiable information may have been accessed without authorization, a thorough investigation conducted by the Department has not revealed any misuse of the accessed data. To date, this investigation has not produced evidence to confirm that any personally identifiable information was downloaded or extracted from Labor servers.
With this investigation now complete, the Department of Labor is contacting the customers who were impacted by the incident and encouraging them to carefully monitor their accounts. Those who have been affected will be offered two years of free credit monitoring through an independent service.
Please be aware that the Department is directly notifying all customers who have been affected by the recent data incident by mail only. If you receive a phone call, text, or email from an individual or third party regarding this incident, please protect yourself by not sharing any personally identifiable information.
If you believe you have been affected by the incident, please contact the Department of Labor’s dedicated hotline by e-mailing dataincident.labor@maryland.gov or calling 410-767-5899. This hotline is staffed Monday-Friday from 8:00am-4:30pm. Please see the FAQs for more information on how to enroll in the credit monitoring service.
Para obtener ayuda en español, llame al 410-767-5899 o envíenos un correo electrónico a dataincident.labor@maryland.gov.
Traduciremos su correo electrónico y nos pondremos en contacto directamente con usted. Gracias.
Important FAQs
What files were accessed?
Files stored on the Literacy Works Information System (LWIS) and a legacy unemployment insurance service database were subject to the incident. The LWIS files impacted were from 2009, 2010, and 2014. These files possibly contained first names, last names, social security numbers, dates of birth, city or county of residence, graduation dates and record numbers. The files impacted on the unemployment insurance service database were from 2013 and possibly contained first names, last names, and social security numbers.
What can I do if I believe my personal information was involved?
Customers whose personal information was affected will receive a letter with information on how to sign up for the credit monitoring service. If you think your information may have been affected because of this incident, please contact our hotline Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at 410-767-5899 or by e-mail at dataincident.labor@maryland.gov to verify with our hotline staff.
If it is determined your personal information was affected, the State of Maryland is offering FREE credit monitoring services for two (2) years through Experian’s® IdentityWorksSM. This product provides you with superior identity detection and resolution of identity theft. A credit card is not required for enrollment.
To activate your membership and start monitoring your personal information, you must enroll in the program before October 31, 2019 (Your code will not work after this date.). To enroll, you must provide a valid codes contained in your letter so please have your letter handy. You can enroll in Experian’s IdenitityWorks credit monitoring service directly from your computer by visiting Experian's IdentityWorks.
Is there a number I can call about enrolling in Experian’s product if I have received a letter and do not have access to the internet or do not want to enroll on-line or have questions about the service?
Yes. If you have questions about the product, need assistance with identity restoration or would like an alternative to enrolling in Experian's IdentityWorks online, please contact Experian’s customer care team at 877-890-9332 by October 31, 2019.
What if I cannot find the necessary codes or lost my letter?
Please call our hotline staff at 410-767-5899 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and we will be glad to help you locate the necessary codes. If you lost or misplaced your letter, please call the hotline before October 31, 2019.
Can I enroll in Experian’s IdentityWorks program directly on the internet without contacting the Department of Labor once I receive a letter?
Yes. To enroll in the FREE credit monitoring service, visit the IdentityWorks website. Please have your letter handy as you will need to enter information contained in your letter. If you cannot find your letter or cannot locate the codes on your letter, please call our Data Hotline at 410-767-5899 between the hours of 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
