The Illinois Department of Human Services is currently managing a significant privacy breach that occurred on April 25, 2024, impacting over a million customers. An unauthorized external entity accessed sensitive data through a phishing attack, compromising Social Security numbers of 4,701 customers, three employees, and public assistance account details of approximately 1.12 million individuals. While the breach was initially detected by the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology on May 3rd, it has now prompted an extensive forensic analysis to ascertain the full scope and implications. IDHS is now actively notifying affected parties and has implemented enhanced training measures to prevent future incidents. Notices have been sent to those whose SSNs were compromised, with a focus on providing resources for credit monitoring to mitigate potential damages.
