A cyberattack that disrupted Georgia’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) call center last month is not an isolated incident, with federal officials confirming similar attacks have occurred in at least six other states. The widespread nature of these cyber intrusions has raised concerns among authorities about the security of essential public services.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), reports of similar incidents have surfaced in Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Virginia. This brings the total number of known affected states to at least seven, with investigations currently underway.
The Georgia Incident: A Precursor to Wider Attacks The Georgia incident began on July 28, when the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that “bots” had targeted the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. This system, operated by Conduent – a third-party vendor contracted by the state – allows EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) recipients to check card status, review balances, and access account information via phone.
The attack caused a significant service disruption, attempting to improperly access user accounts. As a safety precaution, some EBT cards were temporarily locked, and the entire phone system remained down for over a week.
Official Responses and Ongoing Measures Conduent, the vendor, acknowledged the incident in a statement. “We maintain robust processes and technologies to help states detect and prevent suspicious activity,” a spokesperson for Conduent said. “As fraud tactics continue to evolve nationwide, our strategies and safeguards evolve in lockstep with our state clients to meet those challenges and mitigate risk.” The company added that “fraud attempts targeting Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are often experienced in call center environments,” and they work closely with states to block suspicious activity when anomalies are detected.
The USDA is actively monitoring the situation and collaborating with state and federal partners, as well as law enforcement. “While the state agencies are the lead in addressing this situation with their contractor, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is actively monitoring developments and will continue to work with states to ensure that concerns with program access and integrity are mitigated,” a USDA spokesperson stated.
What Cardholders Can Do In light of the attacks, Georgia’s DHS is urging all EBT cardholders to take proactive steps to secure their benefits. Officials recommend changing their PIN as soon as possible and adopting a routine of regularly changing their PINs. Additionally, EBT recipients should frequently check their account balances and transaction history for any strange or unauthorized activity.
An investigation into the multi-state cyberattacks remains ongoing, with authorities working to understand the full scope of the threat and prevent future incidents.
Comments