ABC6 Personnel Records Breach Leads to State Police Investigation, 4 Fired and 3 Suspended
Sunday, April 17, 2016
GoLocalProv Business Team
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Alexandra Cowley, former ABC6 Anchor
A breach of highly confidential personnel records at ABC6 has lead to an investigation by the Rhode Island State Police, the firing for four members of the news organization and three suspensions.
Included in the firings is Alexandra Cowley, the anchor for the evening news and an emerging star in the Providence television market.
Confidential Info Leaked
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GoLocal learned that records were accessed a week ago Friday and a number of staff members reviewed the files. The files included the complete personnel data including social security numbers to contracts to bank account numbers.
After ABC6 management learned of the violation of electronic files, the Rhode Island State Police were called into review the data breach.
In a letter to existing and former ABC6 staff, the management of the station wrote:
On Friday, April 8, 2016, at approximately 10:20 p.m., it was discovered that a computer file, accessible only by select business office employees, was placed on WLNE-ABC 6's shared computer drive and then accessed by various WLNE-ABC 6 employees.
The folder in question included the unencrypted personal information of present and past WLNE employees, including their first and last names, in combination with one or more of their Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, bank account and credit card numbers, employment contracts, employee evaluations and separation agreements.
In addition, the letter management outlined the severity of the violation and the involvement of the RISP.
The Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit has been notified of this security breach, but we wanted you to be aware so that you can take whatever security precautions you might deem appropriate under the circumstances, including contacting the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit or the Attorney General's office in the event that you learn that a party attempts to inappropriately use your personal information.
Efforts to reach ABC6 management were unsuccessful. ABC6 is owned and operated by Citadel Communications of Bronxville New York.
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