Mississippi Children's Home Services, Inc.

The Washington State Office of the Attorney General disclosed a ransomware cyberattack targeting Mississippi Children's Home Services, Inc., first detected on April 4, 2023, and reported publicly on April 11, 2024. The breach compromised sensitive personal data of 2,477 Washington residents, including names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial records, and medical information. The attack’s scope suggests a severe exposure of highly confidential data, posing risks of identity theft, financial fraud, and potential misuse of medical records. Given the nature of the compromised information spanning financial, governmental (SSN, driver’s licenses), and health data the incident aligns with high-impact cyber threats that undermine trust in the organization’s ability to safeguard vulnerable populations, particularly children and families reliant on its services. The use of ransomware indicates the attackers likely encrypted critical systems, exacerbating operational disruptions while demanding payment for data restoration. The prolonged gap between breach detection and public disclosure (nearly a year) further raises concerns about transparency and incident response efficacy. The breach’s fallout may extend to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and long-term financial liabilities for affected individuals.

Source: https://www.atg.wa.gov/data-breach-notifications | https://data.wa.gov/resource/sb4j-ca4h.json?id=16727

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/ms-childrens-home-services

"id": "ms-542083025",
"linkid": "ms-childrens-home-services",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "4/2023",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '2,477 (Washington residents)',
                        'industry': 'social services / child welfare',
                        'location': 'Mississippi, USA',
                        'name': "Mississippi Children's Home Services, Inc.",
                        'type': 'non-profit organization'},
                       {'industry': 'legal / regulatory',
                        'location': 'Washington, USA',
                        'name': 'Washington State Office of the Attorney '
                                'General',
                        'type': 'government agency'}],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '2,477',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['names',
                                                         'Social Security '
                                                         'numbers',
                                                         "driver's license "
                                                         'numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'high',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['personally identifiable '
                                              'information (PII)',
                                              'protected health information '
                                              '(PHI)',
                                              'financial information']},
 'date_detected': '2023-04-04',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-04-11',
 'description': 'The Washington State Office of the Attorney General reported '
                "a data breach involving Mississippi Children's Home Services, "
                'Inc. on April 11, 2024. The breach, identified as a '
                'ransomware cyberattack, occurred on April 4, 2023, affecting '
                '2,477 Washington residents. The compromised information '
                "included names, Social Security numbers, driver's license "
                'numbers, financial information, and medical information.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['names',
                                 'Social Security numbers',
                                 "driver's license numbers",
                                 'financial information',
                                 'medical information'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'high',
            'payment_information_risk': 'high'},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-04-11',
                 'source': 'Washington State Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Washington State '
                                                       'Office of the Attorney '
                                                       'General'},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'public disclosure via Washington '
                                        'State Office of the Attorney General'},
 'title': "Data Breach at Mississippi Children's Home Services, Inc. Due to "
          'Ransomware Attack',
 'type': 'ransomware'}