It is being reported that the Office of the Washington State Auditor (SAO) is investigating a security incident, allegedly caused by a third-party vendor, that may have compromised the personal information of up to 1.6 million residents of the state of Washington who filed unemployment claims in 2020.

The SAO is investigating fraudulent unemployment claims filed in Washington in 2020 that reportedly cost the state up to $600 million. In completing the audit, the state utilized a third-party vendor, Accellion, to transmit computer files for the investigation.

According to the SAO, “during the week of January 25, 2021, Accellion confirmed that an unauthorized person gained access to SAO files by exploiting a vulnerability in Accellion’s file transfer service.” The SAO posted on its website that the unauthorized person “was able to exploit a software vulnerability in Accellion’s file transfer service and gain access to files that were being transferred using Accellion’s service,” which occurred in December 2020.

Data that may have been affected includes 1.6 million individuals’ claims made between January 1, 2020 and December 10, 2020, including claims made by state employees. The compromised information includes individuals’ names, Social Security numbers and/or drivers’ license or state ID numbers, bank information and place of employment. In addition, the personal information of some individuals whose information was held by the Department of Children, Youth and Families was also compromised.

What a terrible consequence for those who legitimately lost their job and filed for unemployment benefits. For those whose personal information was used to file a fraudulent unemployment claim, this news throws a massive amount of salt in the wound of being the victim of identity theft.

Photo of Linn Foster Freedman Linn Foster Freedman

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her…

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her practice on compliance with all state and federal privacy and security laws and regulations. She counsels a range of public and private clients from industries such as construction, education, health care, insurance, manufacturing, real estate, utilities and critical infrastructure, marine and charitable organizations, on state and federal data privacy and security investigations, as well as emergency data breach response and mitigation. Linn is an Adjunct Professor of the Practice of Cybersecurity at Brown University and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Roger Williams University School of Law.  Prior to joining the firm, Linn served as assistant attorney general and deputy chief of the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s Office for the State of Rhode Island. She earned her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law and her B.A., with honors, in American Studies from Newcomb College of Tulane University. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read her full rc.com bio here.