Haverford Township issued a public notice Wednesday afternoon disclosing a data breach in its network that may have resulted in sensitive personal data being exposed.
The township in Delaware County conducted an investigation that lasted several months after it was initially determined there had been unauthorized access to its network. The township didn't say when the data breach occurred, but the cybersecurity experts who were hired to lead the investigation concluded this month that the impacted files may have contained personal information.
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The data that may have been exposed includes names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver's licenses and state identification information, passports, financial account information, medical information, health insurance information and biometric information, the township said.
People who have physical addresses in Haverford and may have been potentially impacted by the data breech will receive notices in the mail.
The township did not say how many people could be affected by the data breach. The notice includes resources and tips for people to protect their personal information — including placing a free fraud alert on credit files and obtaining a free credit report to be reviewed for discrepancies.
Cyberattacks have increasingly targeted state and local governments in recent years, according to a report from the New York-based Center for Internet Security. Many of these attacks are carried out on government networks because they operate on small budgets relative to the amount of data they store and are required to safeguard, which leaves them more vulnerable to be breached.
People with questions about the data breach in Haverford can call the township's dedicated response line at 888-680-3519. The toll-free number will take calls Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.