Seattle Housing Authority seattlehousing.org Seattle Housing Authority data breach: what happened and what to do
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
A ransomware attack on the Seattle Housing Authority ran from 9 August to 6 October 2023, according to its Washington Attorney General notice. Exposed data included names, Social Security numbers and financial information. The authority reported it on 10 November 2023.
View all 13,118 breaches- Breach date
- 9 Aug 2023
- Made public
- 10 Nov 2023
- Data exposed
- Names, Social security numbers, Financial information
- Last updated
What happened
The Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) provides public housing and rental assistance in Seattle. In November 2023 it told the Washington Attorney General that a ransomware attack had exposed personal information.
The notice dates the incident from 9 August to 6 October 2023 and was filed on 10 November 2023. It lists names, Social Security numbers and financial information. The Washington filing counts 32,007 Washington residents, but that is one state's figure. It is not a total, and the authority's overall count of affected people isn't stated in the sources reviewed.
Local news reported that SHA said the incident involved personal information of employees, and that over the following weeks it became clear that tenant information had potentially been accessed too. Tenants were notified later than staff, and notices arrived in the weeks after the breach.
Why a housing record is risky to lose
A Social Security number together with a name and financial details is enough to apply for credit in someone's name, file a false tax return or open bank accounts. Housing files also tend to carry income and household details, which makes scam messages that claim to be from SHA or a benefits office more believable.
If you rented from SHA or worked there, treat any notice letter you received as real, read it, and act on the offer inside it. Be wary of calls or texts that claim to be about your housing benefits and ask for payment or verification codes.
Sources checked: atg.wa.gov, kiro7.com, databreaches.net
Last verified against the official page:
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Read the notice you received
It explains what was taken for you and whether credit monitoring is offered. Use any free monitoring.
- 2
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
A freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is free and blocks new accounts opened with your Social Security number.
- 3
Review bank and card statements
Financial information was in the exposed data. Look for charges or new accounts you didn't open and report them to your bank straight away.
- 4
Be skeptical of housing and benefits messages
Don't act on calls or texts that ask for payment, a Social Security number or a login code and cite your housing. Contact SHA on the number from its own site.
- 5
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Run a free scan at Serus to see where else your details have been exposed.
Official filings
- Washington Attorney General , filed 10 Nov 2023 : 32,007 people
Timeline
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The breach happened
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The company made it public
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Reported to the Washington Attorney General
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Seattle Housing Authority breach?
If you were an SHA employee, tenant or applicant in 2023 you may have been. SHA notified people by letter, and the Washington Attorney General lists the notice.
What was exposed?
The Washington Attorney General notice lists names, Social Security numbers and financial information.
How many people were affected?
The Washington filing counts 32,007 Washington residents. That is one state only, and the total isn't stated in the sources.
Should I freeze my credit?
With a Social Security number exposed, a free credit freeze at all three bureaus is the strongest step you can take.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
