Pennsylvania Child Care Works Breach

Date: June, 2023

The Pennsylvania Child Care Works Program is a system that helps low-income citizens pay for their childcare costs so they can work. The program offers to pay a portion of your childcare costs if your household income is within a specific range. This program collects a significant amount of personal and financial data and holds it at the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. This office was recently hacked, and many PA residents were exposed in a serious data breach that may make them vulnerable to identity theft and more.

What Was the Breach?

Both personal and financial information was likely released in this data breach. We believe data such as Social Security numbers, full names, home addresses, household size, family income, and more were released in the breach, but the program doesn't specify what data was taken. The Child Care Works Program sent letters to all the individuals impacted by the breach, meaning that something potentially harmful and highly personal was lost in the attack.

How Did the Breach Occur?

We don't know the specifics, but we know hackers were able to get into the files held by the Pennsylvania Child Care Works Program. Hackers likely gained access through phishing attacks on the program employees or through a security vulnerability in one of the programs used by the company.

When Did This Breach Occur?

This Child Care Works breach occurred on June 26 and June 27, 2023. During those two days, attackers were in the program's file systems, accessing data for thousands of Pennsylvania citizens.

Who Does the Breach Impact?

A total of 11,687 people from Elk, Forest, Cameron, Clearfield, Warren, McKean, and Jefferson counties were identified as the victims of this breach. If you receive a letter from the program and you live in one of these counties, you should take measures to protect yourself. Begin by checking your credit, then follow up by freezing your credit or investing in credit monitoring services to watch for suspicious changes.

How Many Files Does the Breach Affect?

We cannot get data concerning how many files from the Department of Human Services were taken in this data breach. We only know that the attack impacted more than 11,000 people.