Investigators believe hackers stole at least some of the Social Security numbers and other sensitive personal data of 650,000 current and former Washington state professionals and business owners during a breach of a state database.
The Seattle Times reports the Department of Licensing officials confirmed the figures Friday. The breach, which was detected January 24 and disclosed last week, affected personal data in active, expired, revoked or suspended licenses for 23 of the 39 professions and businesses that require state licensing.
Affected data included such information as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and dates of birth. Data from the department’s driver’s license system wasn’t affected, agency officials said.
“Based on our investigation, (Department of Licensing) has sufficient reason to believe the Professional and Business Licensing System was accessed, and records were acquired without authorization,” the agency said in an updated statement on its website.