COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Twelve years after hackers stole personal data from more than 3.6 million people in South Carolina by obtaining Social Security numbers and credit card information from tax returns, the state The top police official said Wednesday that he believed he knew who was responsible. But no one was ready to come forward.
State Law Enforcement Director Mark Keel was careful not to reveal too many details during his confirmation hearing for another six-year term. He said what authorities failed to find shows the state took appropriate action after the U.S. Secret Service identified the hack and data breach in October 2012.
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“I think the fact that we didn’t come up with information for a lot of people who were compromised is a testament to the effort that people have put into this case,” Keel said.
State Law Enforcement Chief Mark Keel waits to answer questions during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Columbia, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
In summer 2012, a state Department of Revenue contractor clicked on a malicious link in an email, giving hackers access to 6.4 million state income tax returns. They collected his 3.6 million social security numbers and about 400,000 credit and debit card numbers.
The state paid $12 million to prevent identity theft and monitor residents’ credit after the breach. At the time, it was one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history, but it has since been significantly surpassed by the hacks of Equifax, Yahoo, Home Depot, and Target. And PlayStation.
Democratic Sen. Brad Hutt has been searching for answers for more than a decade and has been repeatedly told it is an active investigation and cannot be talked about. Mr. Hutt decided on Wednesday to question Mr. Kiel about the breach in order to get answers publicly.
“Now you can say you paid someone in Azerbaijan $28,000 or something,” Hutt said.
Kiel again declined to say whether South Carolina paid a ransom to the hackers to get the information back.
“I’m probably not going to be completely transparent with you, okay?” Keel said. “I’m not going to lie to you either.”
Keel said quick action stopped the use of the hacked information and proved evidence of things that didn’t happen, including fake credit card charges and an onslaught of people using stolen identity information. Justified taxpayer insurance and federal and state investigative efforts.
In hindsight, the state may not have needed to spend $12 million on insurance. But that’s hindsight, Keel says.
“We really didn’t have a choice,” Keel said. “This was something we had to do because at the time this incident happened, we had to immediately start trying to protect people. We didn’t have time to develop how it would ultimately play out.”
Hutt replied, “Did that actually happen? Do you know who did it?”
“Yes, sir, I know who did it,” Keel said, declining to provide any other details.
Hutt asked if the person had been charged, and laughed and said it might have been because the person was being paid.
The keel did not respond to the bait. “If we can get in touch with this person, that might happen,” he said.
A Senate subcommittee approved Kiel’s nomination for an additional six-year term. He will now be brought before the full Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Keel has worked in state law enforcement for nearly his entire 44-year law enforcement career, with the exception of three years as director of the Department of Public Safety.
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He rose through the ranks as a helicopter pilot and hostage negotiator before becoming the agency’s chief of staff in 2001. He served as interim chief for one year in 2007 before he was succeeded by then-Gov. Mark Sanford takes the top job.
Governor Nikki Haley selected Keel to lead the state’s law enforcement division in 2011.
