Minnesota Department of Human Services Breach Incident Score: Analysis & Impact (MIN3124431112425)

In this Rankiteo incident briefing, we review the Minnesota Department of Human Services breach identified under incident ID MIN3124431112425.

The analysis begins with a detailed overview of Minnesota Department of Human Services's information like the linkedin page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/minnesota-department-of-human-services, the number of followers: 32942, the industry type: Government Administration and the number of employees: 1925 employees

After the initial compromise, the video explains how Rankiteo's incident engine converts technical details into a normalized incident score. The incident score before the incident was 713 and after the incident was 708 with a difference of -5 which is could be a good indicator of the severity and impact of the incident.

In the next step of the video, we will analyze in more details the incident and the impact it had on Minnesota Department of Human Services and their customers.

On 16 September 2024, Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) disclosed Security Oversight, Compliance Failure and Potential Data Vulnerability issues under the banner "Lack of Security Reviews Left Minnesota SNAP System Vulnerable to Breaches and Fraud".

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) failed to perform required security reviews of the computer system critical to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2020 and 2023.

The disruption is felt across the environment, affecting SNAP Eligibility Determination System.

In response, and began remediation that includes Security Plan Review and Certification (March 2024) and Ongoing Certification Process for 2025, and stakeholders are being briefed through Public Statements by DCYF Commissioner Tikki Brown and Media Coverage via 5 INVESTIGATES.

The case underscores how Ongoing (Media Investigation by 5 INVESTIGATES; DCYF Claims Remediation Underway), teams are taking away lessons such as Regular security reviews and resource allocation are critical to preventing vulnerabilities in systems handling sensitive public welfare data. Delays in compliance can erode public trust and increase risks of fraud or breaches, and recommending next steps like Prioritize and fund mandatory security reviews for systems handling sensitive data, Implement continuous monitoring and third-party audits to ensure compliance and Enhance transparency with beneficiaries regarding data security measures, with advisories going out to stakeholders covering Public Statements by DCYF Commissioner Addressing Concerns.

Finally, we try to match the incident with the MITRE ATT&CK framework to see if there is any correlation between the incident and the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a knowledge base of techniques and sub-techniques that are used to describe the tactics and procedures of cyber adversaries. It is a powerful tool for understanding the threat landscape and for developing effective defense strategies.

Rankiteo's analysis has identified several MITRE ATT&CK tactics and techniques associated with this incident, each with varying levels of confidence based on available evidence. Under the Initial Access tactic, the analysis identified External Remote Services (T1133) with moderate to high confidence (70%), supported by evidence indicating un detected security gaps in SNAP system due to Lack of Security Reviews and Valid Accounts (T1078) with moderate confidence (60%), supported by evidence indicating potential Risk Due to Unsecured Personal Data in SNAP eligibility system. Under the Persistence tactic, the analysis identified Account Manipulation (T1098) with moderate confidence (50%), supported by evidence indicating systemic weaknesses in safeguarding critical welfare infrastructure. Under the Privilege Escalation tactic, the analysis identified Valid Accounts: Default Accounts (T1078.001) with moderate confidence (50%), supported by evidence indicating unpatched Security Gaps in SNAP eligibility system. Under the Defense Evasion tactic, the analysis identified Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools (T1562.001) with moderate to high confidence (70%), supported by evidence indicating lack of Security Reviews left system vulnerable to un detected security gaps. Under the Credential Access tactic, the analysis identified Unsecured Credentials: Credentials In Files (T1552.001) with moderate confidence (60%), supported by evidence indicating potential Exposure (Names, Addresses, Financial Data, etc.) in unsecured system. Under the Discovery tactic, the analysis identified File and Directory Discovery (T1083) with moderate confidence (50%), supported by evidence indicating sNAP Eligibility Determination System stores sensitive personal data of 440,000+ beneficiaries. Under the Collection tactic, the analysis identified Data from Local System (T1005) with moderate to high confidence (80%), supported by evidence indicating sensitive personal information stored in vulnerable SNAP system. Under the Exfiltration tactic, the analysis identified Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol: Exfiltration Over Unencrypted/Obfuscated Non-C2 Protocol (T1048.003) with moderate confidence (60%), supported by evidence indicating potential Risk Due to Unsecured Personal Data implies risk of unauthorized data transfer. Under the Impact tactic, the analysis identified Data Encrypted for Impact (T1486) with lower confidence (30%), supported by evidence indicating potential Fraud and Identity Theft risks noted in audit warnings, Data Destruction (T1495) with lower confidence (30%), supported by evidence indicating heightens the likelihood of a breach with systemic weaknesses, and Data Manipulation (T1485) with moderate confidence (50%), supported by evidence indicating potential Fraud risk due to unsecured SNAP eligibility system. These correlations help security teams understand the attack chain and develop appropriate defensive measures based on the observed tactics and techniques.