Hardin County Government is advising county employees to take precautionary measures after a data breach was detected.
According to the county’s IT department, the county learned in September that a county employee’s email was being used to send unauthorized spam emails. The county’s investigation found that the email had been accessed in July and was periodically accessed between August 1 and September 26. The contents of the mailbox were found to have been downloaded during that time.
According to a release from the IT department, the county determined data accessed in the breach includes employee names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, and information related to healthcare and insurance coverage. The county has notified all employees believed to have been included in the emails along with appropriate state and federal agencies.
The county is urging potentially impacted individuals to take precautionary steps to protect their personal information including monitoring account statements and credit reports. Any suspicious activity should be reported immediately to the county’s toll-free assistance line. More information on the breach and resources available for impacted employees can be found on the county’s website.
