Common Questions

Learn the details about the data breach and what personal information was affected


What Happened?

Security breaches to the Washington Courts website, at www.courts.wa.gov, were discovered in late February and March, 2013.

Once the breach was discovered, AOC took immediate action to further secure the environment and begin investigation and analysis into the depth and severity of the breach. In addition, AOC collaborated with the Washington State Consolidated Technology Services (CTS) and the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) for internet security, who provided valuable information in determining the scope of this security breach. MS-ISAC is a focal point for cyber threat prevention, protection, response and recovery for the nation's state, local, territorial and tribal governments. The MS-ISAC 24x7 cyber security operations center provides real-time network monitoring, early cyber threat warnings and advisories, vulnerability identification, and mitigation and incident response.

AOC has implemented significant security enhancements to ensure that our systems and data are secure and to prevent the potential for future compromise.


What Information Was Stored On The Site?

The vast majority of the site contains non-confidential, public information. No personal financial information, such as bank account numbers or credit card numbers, is stored on the site. However, other data stored on the server did include social security numbers, names, dates of birth, addresses, and driver license numbers that may have been accessed. Although there is no hard evidence confirming the information was in fact compromised, the data was still vulnerable and should be considered as potentially exposed.

Individuals meeting the following criteria could potentially be affected by the breach:

  • Social Security Numbers: Up to 160,000 social security numbers may have been accessed.
    • If you were booked into a city or county jail in the state of Washington between September 2011 through December 2012, you may have had your name and social security number accessed.
  • Driver License Numbers: The names and driver license numbers of up to one million people may have been accessed.
    • If you received a DUI citation in Washington State between 1989 through 2011; or
    • If you had a traffic case in Washington State filed or resolved in a district or municipal court between 2011 through 2012; or
    • If you had a court criminal case in Washington State filed against you or resolved between 2011 through 2012,
    you may have had your name and driver license number accessed.
 

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