‘I know this is concerning’: Gov. McKee provides third update on RIBridges cyberattack

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — State officials provided tips and updates for Rhode Islanders impacted by the RIBridges cyberattack during another press conference on Monday.

During the briefing, officials would not share any information on what caused the data breach.

“I know this is concerning,” said Governor Dan McKee.

McKee reiterated five steps those affected can take to protect their personal information: freeze your credit, monitor your credit, request a free fraud alert on your files, use two-factor authentication, and be aware.

“Don’t share personal information through unsolicited emails, calls, or texts, even if they look legitimate,” McKee said.

People who use or have used RIBridges to apply for services or benefits are urged to go to cyberalert.ri.gov for active updates and to utilize the call center at 833-918-6603.

The programs possibly affected include Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), Health coverage purchased through HealthSource RI , Rhode Island Works (RIW) , Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), General Public Assistance (GPA) Program, and At HOME Cost Share.

“Right now, the call center staff cannot yet tell individuals if they are part of the breach because Deloitte is still doing that analysis and the call center can’t give you status updates on your benefits, and they shouldn’t have to,” McKee said. “As far as benefits go, everyone already enrolled in an affected program should be all set for December.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Human Services switched to paper processing and is extending its hours to help customers.

“We’re extending hours of operation from 4 (p.m.) to 7 (p.m.) Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week, and we’re also extending our call center hours,” DHS Director Kimberly Merolla-Brito said. “The 4 (p.m.) to 7 (p.m.) that I mentioned is in three of our locations, its our Pawtucket office and our two facilities in Providence.”

EBT card holders are advised to freeze and unfreeze their cards or reset the pin number often.

“It can be cumbersome,” Merolla-Brito said. “If customers don’t want to freeze and unfreeze, they can change their pin.”

HealthSource RI customers should have already received a message in an email, text or phone call letting them know they could be impacted by the current cyberattack.

McKee also said on Monday that the state still doesn’t know the extent of the data that has been accessed by cyber criminals but it could include birthdates, social security numbers, and banking information.