Subcontractor Arrested For Stealing 15,000 SSNs From NY Disability Assistance Agency

In yet another instance of an insider going to the dark side, a subcontractor upgrading software for the State of New York's Office of Temporary Disability Assistance has been arrested for allegedly stealing 15,000 Social Security numbers from computers storing the data for the state agency.

Evan Kane, 25, of Waterford, N.Y., has been charged with forgery, possession of a forged instrument, falsifying records, and identity theft, according to published reports.

Kane was upgrading the agency's computer infrastructure and allegedly downloaded the SSNs off of contractors' systems storing the data for the agency, which handles Social Security disability claims. Authorities say only some of the stolen SSNs and other personal information were actually used, and the investigation remains under way.

Social security administration officials were not available for comment at the time of this posting. Officials have not revealed publicly just how Kane got to the data, whether he had legitimate access to the databases, or whether he downloaded the stolen information to a USB thumb drive.

Victims affected by the breach will be alerted and offered free credit monitoring, as well as help via a toll-free number.

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