OR Corrections Emails Inmates’ Personal Data by ‘Mistake’
Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) officials say there's no evidence the information of the inmates was compromised, but are still calling it a data breach. (pictured is one of the OR facilities, the Two-Rivers Correctional Facility near Hermiston).
ODOC worker mistakenly sends emails with personal data to 2 individuals
According to a statement from the ODOC received Friday, October 25th:
"On September 9, 2024, Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) discovered that a staff member mistakenly emailed an internal spreadsheet to two individuals wishing to visit one of its institutions. This spreadsheet included the personal information of 861 individuals on whom ODOC had completed background checks. This mis-mailing was on August 28 and 29. "
Once this issue was detected, ODOC officials reached out to the two individuals, and as of September 16th, 2024, said the information and emails had been removed from not only OCOC systems but also the recipients.
According to OCOC:
"The protected information inadvertently shared is the combination of each individual’s name, and drivers’ license or state identification number."
Because these are among the many items protected under data breach laws, ODOC treated this the same as if it had been a hack. Officials say they are taking additional steps to ensure these kinds of errors are not committed again. They're also offering online fraud and identity theft protection to the affected persons.
No financial or Social Security number information was included in the spreadsheets.
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Gallery Credit: Andrew Lisa