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Health & Fitness

Protecting Your Future From Another Security Breach

After receiving her notification that her DOR information had been hacked, State Rep. Mia McLeod offers proposals to make sure there is not a repeat of the breach.

The following was written by State Rep. Mia McLeod (D-79).

Like 3.8 million of you, my social security number, bank account and other financial information was compromised when the Department of Revenue (DOR) was hacked a few months ago.
 
As I read DOR’s unsigned notification letter, I thought about the immediate and long-term impact on my children, since their information was also stolen. Just thinking about the tedious, time-consuming task of closing current bank accounts and opening new ones reminded me of how costly and overwhelming this journey will be, just to try to limit my financial vulnerability…and theirs.

I thought about you and your families, and the life-long financial burden that awaits each of us as we struggle to protect our financial futures after being hacked.  The reality for SC taxpayers is that our families and our businesses will be saddled with this additional expense for the rest of our lives, as a result of being victimized and violated by the worst cyber security breach in our nation’s history.
 
This week, I introduced bi-partisan legislation that creates a Department of Information Security (DIS). With strong Republican and Democrat support, the bill’s primary goal is to protect and secure the financial information and identity of every South Carolinian. Let’s face it.  Information security isn’t a partisan issue.  It’s about real people…real identities…and the impact of this massive breach on approximately 3.8 million real lives across South Carolina. 
 
In addition to being responsible for the supervision, management, maintenance and oversight of information security for all state agencies, the proposed DIS would also:

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  • Provide centralized, comprehensive and coordinated implementation of information security and maintenance procedures, based upon industry standards and ensure that state agencies meet or exceed those standards
  • Appoint a Chief Information Security Officer to oversee and implement  information security policies and practices, statewide
  • Set information security standards for state agencies, to include collection, encryption, storage, maintenance and protection of sensitive and confidential data
  • Require annual, independent security audits of state agencies that collect, store and maintain the public’s personal information
  • Render technical assistance to agencies concerning the detection and handling of risks, threats, exposure and information security incidents through a centralized unit within DIS

And for those of you who believe that we can’t afford to create a new state agency to help centralize, coordinate and connect these efforts so that our personal, financial and business information is adequately protected…think again. 
 
Here’s why we can’t afford not to:

  • The DOR hacking alone has already cost SC taxpayers a minimum of $20 million and counting
  • Most credit monitoring services charge (on average) about $18 per month, which would cost individuals about $216 per year, while families and businesses would pay even more annually.  After 2015, 3.8 million of us are on our own, through no fault of our own, to cover these costs
  • Other state agencies are at risk of being hacked, as indicated by the recent cyber security breach at the SC Department of Employment & Workforce
  • The long-term fiscal impact of this breach on our state and its citizens, is yet to be determined

 
So take a look at H.3528.  After participating in the state’s teleconferences and national conversations on this issue, as well as researching the cyber security practices of other states, I’m confident that this comprehensive, coordinated approach is a significant step towards better protection of our personal information. “Piece-mealed” policies and procedures keep SC far below industry standards and obviously don’t work. 
 
Over the past few months, many of us have watched, questioned, listened and learned in an effort to gain a better understanding about what went wrong and what measures we can employ to help ensure that a breach of this magnitude doesn’t happen again.
 
That’s where real leadership and real accountability begin. We can’t continue to do the same things and expect different results. Thanks to at least 21 Democrats and 21 Republicans in the SC House who have co-sponsored this legislation, bipartisanship is still alive and well…proof that if we work together, we absolutely can move this state forward in a better direction.
 
That’s not big government. That’s responsible government. And isn’t it about time?

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