Texas Parks & Wildlife Data Breach Affects 3 Million Individuals

Key Facts

• Related: Data Breaches at Healthcare Organizations in Illinois and Texas Affect 600,000 Related: 377,000 Impacted by Data Breach at Texas Gas Station Firm Related: Hackers Stole 300,000 Crash Reports From Texas Department of Transportation
• Press play to start listening More than three million people who bought hunting and fishing licenses in Texas are facing a range of risks due to a data breach, which is being dubbed one of the biggest cyberattacks reported in the state this year.
• The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has disclosed a data breach affecting roughly 3 million individuals.
• SecurityWeek has reached out to TPWD for information on who was behind the attack and this article will be updated if the organization responds.
• The Hacker Behind the Breach Hackread.com also found a listing on a cybercrime forum where a user using the handle w1kkid claimed responsibility for the Texas Parks and Wildlife data breach and offered the alleged database for sale in Monero (XMR).
• The listing was later updated to indicate that the data had been sold, though TPWD’s official notice says Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and financial information were not obtained in the incident.
• TPWD is a state agency responsible for conserving Texas’s natural resources, managing wildlife and state parks, and overseeing hunting and fishing programs.
• The post claimed the dataset contained 3,190,363 records linked to hunting and fishing license buyers and listed fields such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, driver’s license details, and other personal attributes.
• Changing the Security Systems The state agency hasn’t yet shared the hacked third-party vendor’s name or exactly who hacked it, or the specific attack method used in the breach.