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Washington State Department of Licensing Data Breach

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm on February 11, 2022 in Data Breach
Updated on February 24, 2022

NOTICE: If you received a DATA BREACH NOTIFICATION from Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.

Washington State Data BreachIn January 2022, Washington State Department of Licensing (“Washington State DOL”) discovered suspicious activity on its systems related to its professional and occupational license data contained within a system known as the Professional Online Licensing and Regulatory Information System (“POLARIS”). The POLARIS system processes, issues and renews professional and occupational license applicants and much more.

The Washington State Department of Licensing is the state government agency responsible for issuing over 40 categories of licenses for motor vehicles, boats, businesses and professionals, including cosmetology, real estate brokers, bail bondsmen, architects and driver training school instructors. As of February 11, 2022, Washington State DOL has estimated the data of 650,000 individuals is affected by this breach. If you received a data breach notification from Washington State DOL, you were impacted by the breach.

What Information is Involved?

According to Washington State DOL, individuals that are impacted by the breach include: inactive licensees; certain individuals with, for example, expired, revoked, and cancelled licenses; and other individuals listed as contacts for licensed businesses.

The following information is included in the data breach:

  • Social Security Numbers
  • Dates of Birth
  • Driver License Numbers
  • Other Personally Identifying Information

This information is called your Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”). It tells others about you and is considered part of your identity. Businesses are required to secure this information or risk facing statutory penalties, among other legal penalties. Stolen PII can be used by identity thieves to engage in fraudulent activity using your identity.

At this time, the POLARIS system has been temporarily shut down while the Washington State DOL continues to investigate the extent of the breach.

NOTICE: If you received a DATA BREACH NOTIFICATION from Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.