City of Oakland oaklandca.gov City of Oakland data breach: what happened and what to do
The City of Oakland, California, was hit by a ransomware attack that began on February 8, 2023. Letters said names, addresses, driver's license numbers and Social Security numbers of city employees were involved. A later city notice covers residents. No total has been published.
View all 13,177 breaches- Breach date
- 8 Feb 2023
- Data exposed
- Names, Physical addresses, Driver's licenses, Social security numbers
- Last updated
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
What happened
The City of Oakland, California, disclosed a ransomware attack on February 10, 2023. The unauthorized access began on February 8, and the city declared a local state of emergency on February 14. Core services such as 911 dispatch and fire emergency services were reported as unaffected, while other systems, including phones and permit and payment processing, went offline for a time.
A ransomware group claimed the attack and posted stolen files online, and a second group later made its own claim. The city began mailing breach notification letters on March 15, 2023. It said later that the involved files held employee information dating from July 2010 to January 2022, and that it began mailing letters to residents whose information may have been involved on August 17, 2023.
Sources checked: oaklandca.gov, oag.ca.gov, consumer.ftc.gov
Last verified against the official page:
What was exposed
The notification letters list names, addresses, driver's license numbers and Social Security numbers of people who worked for the city. The city's substitute notice also lists health information among the data types in some cases. The city has not published a total number of people affected, so none is stated here.
Employee identifiers like these are the raw material for identity theft, and criminals can use them to open credit or file false tax returns.
The city's response
The city set up a call center and a notice page, and offered eligible people free credit monitoring and identity protection through Experian. If you worked for Oakland in that period and got no letter, the city said to contact cyberfaq@oaklandca.gov or (866) 869-1861.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Read your letter and enroll in the credit monitoring offered
The FTC recommends using free credit monitoring that a breached organization offers. Check your letter for the code and deadline, or contact the city if you think you were missed.
- 2
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
A credit freeze is free and blocks most new accounts opened in your name. Place it separately at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and lift it when you apply for credit yourself.
- 3
Report misuse of your identity
If someone uses your Social Security number or opens accounts in your name, report it at identitytheft.gov, the FTC's reporting site, which gives you a recovery plan.
- 4
Review statements and credit reports
Look for accounts or charges you don't recognize. You can get free credit reports at annualcreditreport.com.
- 5
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Serus runs a free scan for your email address and phone number against breach databases and the dark web, and alerts you when something new shows up. Breach data can't be taken back from the places it spread to, so the scan tells you what to act on.
Official filings
- California Attorney General , filed 15 Mar 2023
Timeline
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The breach happened
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Reported to the California Attorney General
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the City of Oakland data breach?
Employees on the city payroll between July 2010 and January 2022 and some residents were sent letters. If you think you were affected and got no letter, contact the city's call center at (866) 869-1861.
What was exposed in the City of Oakland breach?
Letters list names, addresses, driver's license numbers and Social Security numbers. The substitute notice also mentions health information in some cases.
How many people were affected?
The city has not published a total, so no figure is given here.
Should I freeze my credit?
If your Social Security number was involved, the FTC says a freeze is a free way to block new accounts opened in your name.
Sources
- oaklandca.gov/news/ransomware-substitute-notice
- oaklandca.gov/news/city-of-oakland-completes-analysis-of-data-privacy-incident-ramps-up-investment-in-information-technology-security
- oag.ca.gov/system/files/Oakland%20-%20Letter%20Proof.pdf
- consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
- consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/10/have-you-been-affected-data-breach-read
- identitytheft.gov/databreach
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