Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

Cyber-Security Consultant Will Check Network at DHHS Following Breach

Thomas Fearon

Governor Maggie Hassan says a cyber-security consultant will evaluate the Department of Health and Human Services’ computer network following a data breach that compromised personal information for as many as 15,000 DHHS clients.

Hassan says the cyber-security consultant will join a broader effort by her office to get to the bottom of this latest large scale data breach, made public this week.

“We are taking steps to investigate fully what happened here. And also of course, as we learn precisely what the information that was access was is and who it impacts, go through the notification process.”

The breach occurred in the fall of 2015 when a patient at the state-run psychiatric hospital in Concord used a computer in the hospital library to access confidential personal data of HHS clients.

Authorities became of aware of the breach when some private data was posted to social media last month.

But the incident was only made public Tuesday. Hassan defended the nearly two-month delay in announcing the breach, saying state officials had to know exactly what data was compromised and who might be affected before making it public.

A criminal investigation into the breach is ongoing.

Jason Moon is a senior reporter and producer on the Document team. He has created longform narrative podcast series on topics ranging from unsolved murders, to presidential elections, to secret lists of police officers.
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.