CHARLESTON, SC — About 3.6 million tax returns from as far back as 1998 were hacked in South Carolina in what experts say is the largest cyber-attack against a state tax agency in the nation.
There have been larger attacks against private companies and the federal government that revealed information that could lead to identity fraud, says Paul Stephens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in California.
State officials say the attack was mounted from a computer with an international IP address. It was discovered earlier this month, but officials have not given many details because of an ongoing investigation.
Social Security numbers and credit-card information may have been compromised in the attack.