The Connecticut Institute for the Blind, which does business as Oak Hill, recently notified more than 1,500 people that their personal information may have been exposed during a cybersecurity incident last fall.
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The Connecticut Institute for the Blind, which does business as Oak Hill, recently notified more than 1,500 people that their personal information may have been exposed during a cybersecurity incident last fall.
According to a notice posted on Oak Hill's website, the Hartford-based nonprofit determined on May 13 that files containing personal information had been affected by unauthorized access to certain accounts on its network. The organization said it had launched an investigation with the help of outside cybersecurity specialists after detecting suspicious activity on Oct. 6.
The investigation found that certain files were “subject to unauthorized access or acquisition,” Oak Hill said. After reviewing the affected files, the organization identified individuals whose personal information may have been involved and began notifying them by mail on June 30.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights states on its online data breach portal that the incident was reported to federal officials on July 1, and that it affected 1,556 people. The federal filing classifies the incident as a hacking/IT event involving a network server.
According to Oak Hill, the affected information may include names, Social Security numbers, driver's license or state identification numbers, financial account information, payment card information, passport numbers, medical information, health insurance information and dates of birth.
The nonprofit said it is not aware of any confirmed misuse of personal information resulting from the incident. It is offering affected individuals free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services and has established a dedicated call center to answer questions at 1-877-418-8555.
Oak Hill said it took steps to strengthen data security following the incident, including enhancing technical safeguards and reviewing its data protection policies and procedures. It also notified law enforcement and is implementing additional measures to reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future, it said.
Oak Hill is one of Connecticut's largest nonprofit providers of services for people with disabilities, offering education, employment, residential and community-based programs throughout the state.
