DC Health Link updated members Friday on the serious breach of confidential data that occurred this week.
The health insurance marketplace was made aware it had been hacked on Wednesday and said that over 56,000 customers had confidential data, including their Social Security numbers, addresses, health plan information and more, released to the public.
In a statement, the program said a third-party investigation would take place and that it is working with law enforcement. The FBI is also assisting in the investigation.
“We recognize the seriousness of this incident and we have reached out to impacted enrollees to provide three years of free identity and credit monitoring for all three major credit bureaus. The three years of [credit] monitoring protection includes all enrolled dependents, spouses and children. In addition, and out of an abundance of caution, we are offering the same three years of monitoring to all other customers, who were not impacted,” DC Health Link said in the statement.
On Monday, a broker on an online crime forum claimed to have stolen records from 170,000 DC Health Link customers and was offering them for sale for an unspecified amount.
A majority of those whose information was leaked were small business owners, uninsured residents and lawmakers, including members of Congress and their staff.
House leaders were informed by Capitol Police that DC Health Link “suffered an extraordinarily large data breach of enrollee information” that posed a “great risk” to members, employees and their family members.
The extent of the damage done here is “extraordinary,” at least to New York Sen. Hakeem Jeffries and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy who released a joint statement to the health care program on Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
