The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) recently announced that it discovered on July 16, 2021 that its online unemployment benefit system, CONNECT was compromised, potentially affecting personal information of 57,000 accounts.

The information that may have been accessed in the incident includes individuals’ “personal details” including “social security number, driver’s license number, bank account numbers, claim information, and other personal details, such as address, phone number, and date of birth.”  On top of that, the threat actor(s) also “may have acquired the account PIN that claimants use to access their CONNECT account.”

Following the incident, the DEO stated that it locked the targeted accounts, “improved PIN security controls,” notified the affected individuals, and provided one year of identity protection services for those claimants who were affected by the incident.

It is concerning to think how the threat actors can use this information to file for unemployment benefits in other states, particularly with the rash of fraudulent unemployment benefit claims that have surfaced during the pandemic.

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