Texas Department of Public Safety: Texas government data breach allowed hackers to steal 3 million driver’s licenses and passports

Texas State Data Breach Exposes 3 Million Driver’s Licenses and Passport Numbers

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) recently disclosed a significant data breach affecting over 3 million individuals. Hackers gained access to a third-party vendor managing the state’s hunting and fishing license system, though the exact nature and timing of the incident remain unspecified. The breach compromised sensitive personal data, including driver’s license information, passport numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, and residential addresses of affected license holders.

While the vendor’s identity has not been revealed, the Texas DPS has not confirmed whether the hackers made ransom demands or if any communication was received. This incident ranks among the largest data breaches in Texas this year, raising concerns about the security of state-managed systems and third-party vendors handling sensitive information. No further details on the attack vector or potential attribution have been provided.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/18/texas-government-data-breach-allowed-hackers-to-steal-3-million-drivers-licenses-and-passports/

Texas Department of Public Safety cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/texas-department-of-public-safety

"id": "TEX1781807381",
"linkid": "texas-department-of-public-safety",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "1/2026",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '3 million individuals',
                        'industry': 'Public Safety/Government',
                        'location': 'Texas, USA',
                        'name': 'Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)',
                        'size': 'Large',
                        'type': 'Government Agency'}],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '3 million',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Driver’s license information',
                                              'Passport numbers',
                                              'Email addresses',
                                              'Phone numbers',
                                              'Residential addresses']},
 'description': 'The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) disclosed a '
                'significant data breach affecting over 3 million individuals. '
                'Hackers gained access to a third-party vendor managing the '
                'state’s hunting and fishing license system, compromising '
                'sensitive personal data, including driver’s license '
                'information, passport numbers, email addresses, phone '
                'numbers, and residential addresses of affected license '
                'holders.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Raised concerns about the security of '
                                       'state-managed systems and third-party '
                                       'vendors',
            'data_compromised': 'Driver’s license information, passport '
                                'numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, '
                                'residential addresses',
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
            'systems_affected': 'Hunting and fishing license system managed by '
                                'a third-party vendor'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Cyber Incident Description'}],
 'title': 'Texas State Data Breach Exposes 3 Million Driver’s Licenses and '
          'Passport Numbers',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}