Allegheny County Marriage License Data Leak May Affect Recent Newlyweds

A website glitch may have exposed thousands of couples who filed for marriage licenses in Allegheny County.

Guest list? Check. Wedding venue? Check. Dinner menu? Check.

There are a lot of important dates to add to your calendar and items to add to your checklist when wedding planning. And while most of it is fun and exciting, some involve contractual obligations, one of which is applying for a marriage license. Depending on your jurisdiction, applying too late or too early can affect the timing of your license acceptance.

But one item you shouldn’t need to worry about is whether your personal information is protected while filling out a marriage license application.

Recently, a security flaw was exposed in the Allegheny County Department of Court Records’ website. If you looked up a married couple’s public marriage on the website and then went to start your own application, you could “auto-fill” that married couple’s information into your new marriage license application.

While the glitch has since been resolved and an independent investigation is underway to determine the true scope of the incident, the exposed data still poses a concern for many newlywed couples in Allegheny County.

A requirement of the marriage license application includes providing your Social Security number. When a threat actor discovers this, they can open credit cards, loans and mortgages in your name.

While identity theft is always a concern, there are proactive measures residents in Allegheny County and beyond can take to make sure their personal information is protected and, if exposed, the risks mitigated.

If you’re worried your information could have been exposed in this data leak, or others, you can take the following actions:

• Freeze your credit
• Check your credit reports regularly for suspicious activity
• Subscribe to alerts with each of the main credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and Transunion)
• File a police report if you notice suspicious activity

For more information on how to protect yourself against identity theft, check out our Identity Theft series.

About Schneider Downs Cybersecurity

The Schneider Downs cybersecurity practice consists of experts offering a comprehensive set of information technology security services, including penetration testing, intrusion prevention/detection review, ransomware security, vulnerability assessments and a robust digital forensics and incident response team. In addition, our Digital Forensics and Incident Response teams are available 24x7x365 at 1-800-993-8937 if you suspect or are experiencing a network incident of any kind.

To learn more, visit our dedicated Cybersecurity page.

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