Contra Costa County Employee Email Accounts Hacked In Data Breech

MARTINZ (CBS SF) -- Contra Costa County officials have begun sending out letters this week to potential victims of the "unauthorized access to certain county employee email accounts" in a computer breech between July to August of last year.

In a news release, officials said an investigation of the breech was completed on March 11 and letters and email alerts began going out to potential victims on April 15.

The investigation determined that an unauthorized person accessed the accounts at various times between June 24, 2021, and August 12, 2021. But it did not determine whether any emails or attachments in the accounts were accessed or downloaded by the unauthorized individual.

"However, the county was not able to rule out the possibility," officials said in the release.

In the review of what could have been accessed or downloaded, the investigation determined it was emails and attachments containing information pertaining to certain county employees, as well as individuals who communicated with the county's Employment and Human Services Department.

"This information included names and one or more of the following: Social Security numbers; driver's license or state-issued identification numbers; financial account numbers; passport numbers; and medical information and/or health insurance information," officials said in the release.

The county was offering complimentary credit monitoring to eligible individuals. Officials have also set up a dedicated, toll-free call center for individuals to call with questions about this incident and is offering complimentary credit monitoring to eligible individuals.

Individuals who have questions or those wishing to determine if their personal information was contained in one of the email accounts may call 1-855-604-1854, Monday through Friday between 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time.

Additionally, the county's website homepage at www.contracosta.ca.gov contains information regarding steps that individuals can take to help protect their personal information.