Protection extended for Utah data breach victims

Utah lawmakers approve money to extend ID theft protection for health data breach victims

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Victims of a massive Utah health department data breach are getting another year of identity theft protection.

Health department ombudsman Sheila Walsh-McDonald says state lawmakers approved $1 million to extend credit monitoring for a second year. She says the department also used $300,000 to create a privacy and security office to strengthen data security procedures.

State officials announced in May that hackers broke into a government server and stole the personal information of about 780,000 people, including the Social Security numbers of about 280,000.

Utah's chief technology officer resigned in the wake of the theft.

Walsh-McDonald says about 25 percent of people with exposed Social Security numbers signed up for credit monitoring. That will be extended automatically.

Victims who haven't signed up can do so by calling the health department.