AUGUSTA, Maine — Officials with the Maine Department of Labor reported on March 22, 2017, that some Maine JobLink account holders may have been affected by a data breach.
America’s JobLink (AJL), a multi-state web-based system that links job seekers with employers, has been the victim of a hacking incident from an outside source, AJL officials in Topeka, Kan., said in a press release. The system is maintained by America’s Job Link Alliance-Technical Support (AJLA-TS). AJLA-TS has been in business for almost 50 years; this is the first known intrusion it has experienced.
On March 21st, AJLA-TS confirmed that a malicious third party “hacker” exploited a vulnerability in the AJL application code to view the names, Social Security Numbers, and dates of birth of job seekers in the AJL systems of up to 10 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Oklahoma and Vermont. Upon the discovery, AJLA-TS immediately intervened and deployed a technical team to assess and stop the incursion, disabling the hacker’s access to the AJL systems.
The Kansas company is working with law enforcement officials to identify and apprehend the perpetrator. An independent forensic firm is completing work to determine how many job seeker accounts may have been viewed and where those individuals are located.
The firm has verified that the method of the hacker’s attack has been remediated and is no longer a threat to the AJLA-TS system.
According to the MDOL, new Maine JobLink accounts created on or after March 16 are not affected. Job seeker accounts that include a valid Social Security number are potentially at most risk. To check this, account holders should log into their JobLink account; as long as they are not actively filing for unemployment benefits they can delete their Social Security Number from their JobLink account.
Additional information will be emailed to individuals determined most at risk in accordance with state law.
The department recommended individuals put a freeze on their credit report if they had a valid Social Security Number in their JobLink account. Maine law allows consumers to freeze their credit report for free.
For additional information call the MDOL toll-free at 1 (888) 457-8883. Julie Rabinowitz, director of policy, operations and communication, scheduled a press conference at 3 p.m. March 23 on the issue.
