The City of Newport announced today that it has concluded the investigation of a previously announced security incident.
As previously announced, on June 9, 2022, the City identified unusual network activity that caused certain systems in its network to become unavailable. The City immediately took steps to secure its network and launch an investigation with the assistance of a cybersecurity firm. The City also notified law enforcement and worked to support its investigation.
Through the investigation, the City learned that there was unauthorized activity in its network between June 8, 2022 and June 9, 2022. During that time, an unauthorized party obtained files stored on the City’s file servers.
After its prior announcement, the City continued to carefully review the files involved and determined, on July 22, 2022, the files involved included historical property and motor vehicle registration records, as well as City department reports and financial records.
Some of these files included the names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license or state identification numbers, financial account information, payment card information, health insurance information, and medical information of City residents and others.
On July 22, 2022 and August 15, 2022, the City mailed letters to individuals whose information was identified in the files. The City has also established a dedicated, toll-free call center to answer questions that individuals may have about the incident.
The City is offering complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services to individuals whose information Social Security number or driver’s license was involved. The City also recommends that the individuals involved review statements they receive from their health insurers and financial institutions. If they see charges for services not received or other unauthorized activity, they should contact the appropriate insurer or financial institution immediately.
The City takes this matter very seriously and regrets any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause. To help prevent something like this from happening again, the City is taking steps to further enhance the security of its network.
Additional information can be obtained by calling 855-516-3873, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
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