Data Breach ID’d in North Dakota Workers’ Comp Agency

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A state server containing information from North Dakota’s workers’ compensation agency was breached, but it’s unlikely any personal information was stolen, state officials announced.

Mike Ressler, the chief information officer at the state Information Technology Department, said unusual activity was found on a server on May 29 that contains data from the state Workforce Safety and Insurance agency. The server was secured and data was locked down.

WSI, which provides coverage for businesses when employees are hurt or killed on the job, said the data at risk is about 43,000 incident reports and 13,000 payroll reports that were filed online between 2006 and 2013. The information in the reports includes name, social security number and the description of an injury or incident.

The agency said there’s no evidence someone moved any of the data off the server or duplicated any of the personal information, but is reviewing both incident and payroll reports to compile a list of all affected individuals. A company that specializes in identity protection services will notify anyone affected.

“We want to be proactive for the people affected,” Ressler told the Bismarck Tribune.

The state said affected individuals will be provided free identify protection services for one year.