The portal allows those who receive benefits through one of the programs to see case history and benefit information, as well as change account and benefit information.

The state discovered March 13 that “suspicious user accounts” had been created and were able to link to existing customer accounts by providing such information as the recipient’s date of birth and identification or Social Security number and then answering several questions to prove identity. It is believed the personal information needed to do this was stolen elsewhere.

Access to an account would allow viewing of a benefit recipient’s name, address, phone number, date of birth, identification number, case ID, Social Security number, benefits applied for and received, and income information. Information and any documents uploaded through the Application for Benefits Eligibility system could also have been viewed.

The state is providing a dedicated phone number — 1-877-657-0006 — through Aug. 14 to provide assistance and answer questions about the incident. Those who may have been affected can contact consumer reporting agencies to place a free fraud alert or security freeze on their accounts.

The state has deployed a new software to stop the creation of any additional suspicious user accounts and de-linked suspicious accounts from the system.