Published on November 7, 2012
WLTX
Columbia, SC (WLTX) — News19 has now learned that over the past five years, the Department of Revenue spent $231,000 dollars buying security through the corporation Trustwave, protection that failed.
Governor Nikki Haley announced Wednesday that some business information was compromised in the Department of Revenue hacking case.
Haley went on to say that potentially 657,000 businesses information may have been compromised in this hack.
News19 first told you about the data breach at the South Carolina Department of Revenue two weeks ago. Now, small business owners in the Midlands say they’re concerned for the future of their business and employee’s.
“We do a whole lot of cheering here,” In her thirteenth year as a small business owner , Debbie Jackson’s cheer and dance studio has seen a lot of ups and downs over the years.
But after learning nearly every business in the state could have had their tax information stolen in the massive security breach at the state Department of Revenue, Jackson has less to cheer about.
“It scared me,” said Jackson. “For the fact that I’m a very small business . Something that huge could destroy me as a business owner.”
Jackson says she’s signed up for credit protection through the state, but is also concerned her eight fulltime employee’s, who’s social security numbers were also on her tax forms.
“The more I learn it’s a bigger mess and a bigger threat to the business community than anybody’s ever thought of.”
Frank Knapp with the Small Business Chamber of Commerce says while the state’s free credit protection is great, a bigger issues could loom with your business’ bank accounts.
“Credit protection is something that might happen to you, but all that is going to do is mess up your credit going forward. But it doesn’t put in jeopardy the money you have in the bank.”
Knapp says he’s been telling business owners to be one hundred percent safe, they should close their business bank accounts and open a new ones, since you never know when a hacker will strike.
“It may not happen today, it may not next week, but if you don’t do anything today it may happen a year or two years from now,” said Knapp.
A tax identity tumble that Jackson hopes doesn’t hurt her business.
“I’m the one thats got to go out there and fix my social security number when it’s not my fault,” said Jackson.
The owner of Silver Jax’s cheer studio says she has signed up for free lifetime credit protection but says she still has fears her business data could be hacked.
Governor Haley said Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. will activate a website that businesses can visit to register for free monitoring service: www.dandb.com/sc, or by calling 800-279-9881.
Original Video:Â http://www.wltx.com/news/article/208012/2/Local-Business-Fearful-After-SCDOR-Data-Breach