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If You Got A Texas Driver's License Before February 2019, Your Personal Data Might Have Been Leaked

Gabriel C. Pérez
/
KUT

Lee esta historia en español. 

The personal information of as many as 22.7 million Texas driver's license holders has been compromised, according to a Denver-based insurance software firm.

Vertafore, which uses driver data to help insurance companies, said the breach occurred earlier this year when three files containing names, dates of birth, license numbers and vehicle registration history were uploaded to an unauthorized server.

The breach could affect anyone holding a Texas driver's license issued before February 2019.

Vertafore said it has contracted a "leading intelligence firm" to determine whether data had been misused, but it "did not find any evidence."

The Texas Department of Public Safety, which issues licenses and state ID cards, said Friday the breach did not affect the security of its servers.

"There has been no breach of the Texas Driver License System or any other DPS database," the agency said in an email to KUT. "The department is aware of the data event that occurred at Vertafore."

DPS added that the Texas Attorney General’s office, DPS, Department of Motor Vehicles and federal authorities "are all looking into the matter."

The compromised files did not contain photographs, Social Security numbers, signatures or other identifying characteristics on licenses like height, eye color or gender identity, Vertafore said.

The leaked vehicle registration data, however, did contain whether drivers had a lien on vehicles, as well as vehicle identification numbers, license plate information and a vehicle's year, make and model, it said.

Vertafore is offering a year's worth of credit checks and identity restoration for those affected by the breach.

To find out whether you've been affected by this breach, go to Vertafore's website.

Got a tip? Email Andrew Weber at aweber@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @England_Weber.

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Copyright 2020 KUT 90.5

Andrew Weber is a freelance reporter and associate editor for KUT News. A graduate of St. Edward's University with a degree in English, Andrew has previously interned with The Texas Tribune, The Austin American-Statesman and KOOP Radio.