North Dakota WSI Breach - June 28, 2022

The Workforce Safety & Insurance agency of North Dakota is responsible for worker’s compensation benefits for the state. They work with businesses, medical providers, and injured parties to figure out who deserves worker’s compensation and how much of a benefit they should receive based on their injuries.

What Was the Breach?

Hackers made their way into the internal systems of a North Dakota government agency. Here's a quick look at the details of the online attack and the importance of fortifying your identity theft protections.

How Did the Breach Occur?

Digital thieves accessed the sensitive information of injured employees in an online attack against an agency in North Dakota. The breach affects the state's Workforce Safety & Insurance, or WSI for short.

The digital intrusion was identified when a WSI worker identified abnormal activity after viewing an email attachment. The employee responded to the threat by contacting the agency's information technology helpdesk.

When Did This Breach Occur?

This breach occurred on June 28, 2022.

Who Does the Breach Impact?

The breach impacts North Dakota's WSI agency. Hackers stole the personal data of injured workers in the attack.

How Many Files Does the Breach Affect?

It took WSI until August 19 to release a statement regarding the attack. The statement highlights unusual activity on WSI computers in the aftermath of opening a harmful file attached to an email message. The incident was subsequently reported to WSI's internal helpdesk. The computer compromised in the attack was properly secured and eliminated from the network used by the state.

The silver lining to this digital intrusion is that the forensic analysis of the attack reveals the phishing scam was limited to one computer, meaning it did not infiltrate the entirety of the state network. In total, the agency reports the information of more than 180 employees who were injured on the job was viewed or stolen in the attack.