MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Office of Information Technology is investigating a potential data breach and cyberattack affecting multiple state information systems, Gov. Kay Ivey’s office said Monday.
“The security and reliability of our systems is a top priority,” said Gina Maiola, Ivey’s communications director, in a press release. “In alignment with best practices, immediate steps have been taken to contain the situation while working with a leading third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate, secure and restore impacted services.”
Cybersecurity event: Alabama Office of Information Technology is currently responding to a potential data breach, first detected Friday. Investigations are ongoing.#ALPolitics pic.twitter.com/tCdDWoLTlX
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The cybersecurity event was detected Friday evening, with the source of the attack still under investigation. State website accessibility, email and phone communication may experience disruptions, Maiola said.
Serving as the central agency responsible for managing and coordinating information technology services across state agencies, OIT will provide regular updates on developments of the cybersecurity event on a dedicated page on its website.
Maiola added that OIT is still working to determine the full scope of the cyberattack, and that while some state employee usernames and passwords were compromised, it does not appear that any personal identifiable information of Alabamians was exposed.
“The source of the cybersecurity event is being investigated, but all state employees are being reminded to be cautious for potentially malicious emails,” she said.
A cyberattack against state computer systems would likely fall under Alabama law against computer tampering, and would, at minimum, constitute a Class B felony, punishable with up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $30,000. Were the cyberattack to result in the loss of more than $100,000, or cause physical injury, it could constitute a Class A felony, punishable with up to life in prison.