Delaware leaks social security numbers for 22,000 state retirees, will face legal action

Contributed by Roumiana Deltcheva (Tuesday, September 14, 2010) | Category : Email security

Former public sector employees in Delaware are seeking lawsuits after a state contractor leaked the Social Security numbers and birth dates of 22,000 state retirees, Delaware Online reports.

The information was found through the state's website, pertaining strictly to Delaware's retired state government employees, and was removed on August 20 after four days of exposure. For Gail Slaughter, who retired in 2007 after 33 years with the state's finance department, those four days have put her at enough risk to seek damages from the government.

"I feel aggrieved. It's something we're going to have worry about for the rest of our lives," Slaughter told Delaware Online.

Her attorney explained how a number of state retirees are at risk for identity theft as well.

"She's expressed the same feelings that people have been saying," said attorney Bruce Hudson, the news provider reports. "There's nothing she or anybody else can do to change the fact that their information has been made public. She's always going to have to live with the fear that her identity could be stolen."

The case reveals the need for data-leak prevention solutions among large organizations. As the information was exposed for days without the knowledge of any employees or administrators, data-leak prevention can help organizations with large information management needs avoid unexpected legal issues related to their complex networks of information.