CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Officials from Clearfield County reported Tuesday that a recent cyber event may have impacted the security of personal information for certain individuals associated with the county.

The county has sent written notification letters regarding the incident to these individuals, which will include steps they may take to help protect their personal information, should they feel it is appropriate to do so.

On Jan. 9, Clearfield County learned that it was the target of a cybercriminal attack and that its computer network was infected with ransomware. Officials immediately launched an investigation into the nature and scope of the incident and hired outside legal counsel, who then engaged forensic investigators to further analyze this event.

Based upon the current investigation, officials report that an unauthorized party obtained access to county servers in late Oct. 2020. On Jan. 25, the county confirmed that the cybercriminals had accessed certain files that were stored within the county’s computers and contained personal
information.

On Feb. 12, the forensic investigation confirmed that some of the personal information stored on the county’s network was made available on the cybercriminal’s website. The incident required the county to conduct a thorough and lengthy review of the data in order to determine who, and what information, was involved.

Based on the investigation, the impacted data included name, date of birth, address, and Social
Security number.

The county also encouraged potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements, and monitor credit reports for suspicious activity. All individuals receiving notification will be offered one year of credit monitoring services, at no charge.

Officials in Clearfield County report they are reviewing the existing policies and procedures and will implement additional safeguards to protect data, as needed.

The Commissioners have made the following joint statement:

“The security of information in our care is among Clearfield County’s highest priorities. We are committed to protecting our resident’s information against ever-evolving and pervasive cyber threats. We will continue to invest in the internal processes, tools, and resources necessary to reduce the likelihood that this can happen again.”