Professional and Business Licensing Service Outage
Updated 5 p.m. March 28, 2022
Professional licensing system back online
As of March 1, 2022, the licensee portion of the Department of Licensing’s (DOL) professional licensing system is back online and in service. Customers will no longer need to fill out an intent to renew and submit it to the Department of Licensing. Individuals can now renew their professional licenses, and apply for new professional licenses, online.
For the safety and security of our customers’ data, DOL took the portal offline on January 24, 2022, when DOL was alerted to suspicious activity involving its professional licensing database.
Before returning the online portal to active service, DOL conducted a thorough investigation with the assistance of a nationally recognized cybersecurity expert, service providers involved in its implementation and hosting, and the Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech). Law enforcement is also aware of this matter. At this time, we are confident that the licensee portion of the professional licensing system is operating securely and we will continue to monitor it closely.
No suspicious activity has been detected in any other system operated by DOL, including the drivers’ and vehicle license system, all of which are being closely watched.
We are continuing our investigation into which portion of the system was breached and how. We will provide updates when we learn more.
One option in the licensee portal, known as Pay by Employer, is not yet functional. This option is used by a few professions, such as security guards. Individuals needing to renew those licenses can contact their profession program.
To limit the impact upon licensees who expired during the outage, DOL is automatically waiving all late-filing penalties through April 1, 2022.
Notification letters being sent
DOL’s investigation revealed that personal information in DOL professional or business license records may have been obtained by an unauthorized actor. The affected information may have included licensees’ names, e-mail addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and/or driver’s license numbers.
DOL takes the security of the personal information entrusted to it very seriously. On February 25, 2022, the agency began sending out notification letters to those licensees who may have been affected. The letters contain detailed instructions on how to receive free credit monitoring. Please take careful note of the deadline, after which you will no longer be able to enroll in free credit monitoring. That deadline is May 24, 2022.
Call center phone number available for credit questions
DOL is offering support for questions about the free credit monitoring we are offering in response.
For questions about the free credit monitoring
- Phone number: 360.664.1497
- Hours of operation: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Monday – Friday
Identificamos una filtración de datos en nuestro sistema de licencias profesionales y para negocios (Professional and Business Licensing System). Solo afecta a las personas que cuentan con licencias profesionales o para negocios. Los registros de conductor, identificación y vehículos no fueron afectados.
Entendemos su preocupación y estamos trabajando para solucionar la situación lo más pronto posible. Seguiremos informándole a medida que sepamos más.
Estamos contactando a los afectados y les estamos brindando recursos como monitoreo de crédito gratuito.
Para ver las actualizaciones más recientes, visite nuestro sitio web de suspensión de servicio.
我们在专业和营业许可系统中发现了数据泄漏。此次事件只会对持有营业或专业许可证的人群产生影响。驾驶证、身份证及车辆记录则不会受到影响。
我们理解您对此事件的担忧，正在争分夺秒采取解决措施。我们会跟进事态发展，持续为您更新信息。
我们正在联系那些受到影响的人群，为他们提供免费信用监测等资源。
请访问我们的服务中断网页了解最新的更新信息。
我們在專業和營業執照系統中，發現了資料外洩的情況。這個問題只會影響到擁有營業執照或專業許可的人士。駕照、身份證件和車輛記錄並未受到影響。
我們了解您的疑慮，目前正儘速尋求補救的方法。我們會在得到進一步的消息時，持續為您提供最新資訊。
目前我們正在聯絡受到影響的人士，提供他們免費的信用異常通報等資源。
有關最新情況，請造訪我們的服務中斷網頁。
Chúng tôi đã xác định được sự cố vi phạm dữ liệu trong Hệ Thống Cấp Giấy Phép Nghề Nghiệp và Kinh Doanh của chúng tôi. Sự cố chỉ tác động đến những người có giấy phép kinh doanh hoặc nghề nghiệp. Các hồ sơ về lái xe, ID và phương tiện không bị tác động.
Chúng tôi hiểu mối lo ngại của quý vị và đang nỗ lực khắc phục tình huống trong thời gian sớm nhất. Chúng tôi sẽ tiếp tục cập nhật đến quý vị trong quá trình tìm hiểu thêm.
Chúng tôi đang liên hệ với những người bị tác động và cung cấp cho họ các nguồn lực như giám sát tín dụng miễn phí.
Để nhận thông tin cập nhật mới nhất, hãy truy cập trang web về việc ngừng dịch vụ của chúng tôi.
저희는 전문 및 비즈니스 라이선싱 시스템에서 데이터 침해를 확인했습니다. 이는 비즈니스 또는 전문 라이센스가 있는 사용자에게만 영향을 미칩니다. 운전자, ID 및 차량 기록은 영향을 받지 않았습니다.
저희는 사용자의 우려를 이해하고 있으며 최대한 빨리 상황을 해결하기 위해 최선을 다하고 있습니다. 자세한 내용을 확인하는 대로 계속 업데이트하겠습니다.
저희는 영향을 받는 사용자에게 연락하고 있으며 무료 크레딧 모니터링과 같은 리소스를 제공하고 있습니다.
최신 업데이트 내용을 확인하려면 서비스 중단 웹 페이지를 방문하십시오.
Мы обнаружили утечку данных в нашей системе лицензирования профессиональной деятельности и бизнеса. Это касается только владельцев лицензий на ведение бизнеса или профессиональной деятельности. Данные о водителях, удостоверениях личности и транспортных средствах не были затронуты.
Мы понимаем вашу обеспокоенность и работаем над тем, чтобы исправить ситуацию как можно скорее. Мы будем продолжать информировать вас по мере поступления новостей.
Мы связываемся с теми, кого это затронуло, и предоставляем им такие ресурсы, как бесплатный кредитный мониторинг.
Для получения актуальной информации посетите нашу веб-страницу посвященную перебоям в обслуживании
May natukoy kaming paglabag sa data sa aming Sistema ng Paglilisensya sa Propesyon at Negosyo (Professional and Business Licensing System). Sa mga tao lang na may mga lisensya sa negosyo o propesyon ito nakakaapekto. Hindi apektado ang mga talaan ng driver, ID, at sasakyan.
Nauunawaan namin ang iyong mga alalahanin at pinagsisikapan naming ayusin ang sitwasyon sa lalong madaling panahon. Patuloy ka naming bibigyan ng update habang nakakakuha kami ng impormasyon.
Nakikipag-ugnayan kami sa mga naapektuhan at binibigyan namin sila ng mga resource gaya ng libreng pagsubaybay ng credit.
Para sa mga pinakabagong update, bisitahin ang aming webpage para sa outage ng serbisyo.
Ми виявили витік даних у нашій системі професійного та підприємницького ліцензування. Це стосується лише осіб, які мають ліцензію на підприємницьку або професійну діяльність. Записи, які стосуються посвідчень водія, посвідчень особи та транспортних засобів, не постраждали.
Ми розуміємо вашу стурбованість і працюємо над виправленням ситуації у найкоротший термін. Ми обов'язково розповімо про новини, коли дізнаємося більше.
Ми зв’язуємося з постраждалими та надаємо їм різноманітні ресурси, наприклад: безкоштовний моніторинг кредитів.
Для отримання актуальної інформації див. нашу веб-сторінку про тимчасове припинення обслуговування.
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影響があった方々にご連絡差し上げているとともに、無料のクレジット監視プログラムといったリソースをご提供させていただいております。
最新の更新情報につきましては、弊社のサービス停止ウェブサイトをご覧ください。
យើងបានរកឃើញការរំលោភបំពានលើទិន្នន័យនៅក្នុងប្រព័ន្ធអាជ្ញាប័ណ្ណវិជ្ជាជីវៈ និងធុរកិច្ចរបស់យើង។ វាប៉ះពាល់តែមនុស្សដែលមានអាជ្ញាប័ណ្ណវិជ្ជាជីវៈ និងធុរកិច្ចតែប៉ុណ្ណោះ។ កំណត់ត្រាអ្នកបើកបរ លេខសម្គាល់ និងយានយន្តមិនរងការប៉ះពាល់ទេ។
យើងយល់អំពីកង្វល់របស់អ្នក ហើយយើងកំពុងធ្វើការដើម្បីដោះស្រាយស្ថានភាពឲ្យបានឆាប់តាមដែលអាចធ្វើបាន។ យើងនឹងបន្តធ្វើបច្ចុប្បន្នភាពនៅពេលដែលយើងស្វែងយល់បន្ថែមទៀត។
យើងកំពុងទាក់ទងទៅអ្នកដែលរងការប៉ះពាល់ ហើយកំពុងផ្ដល់ដល់ពួកគេនូវធនធានដូចជាការតាមដានឥណទានដោយឥតគិតថ្លៃ។
សម្រាប់បច្ចុប្បន្នភាពចុងក្រោយបង្អស់ សូមមើលគេហទំព័រដាច់ចរន្តសេវាកម្មរបស់យើង។
ਅਸੀਂ ਸਾਡੇ ਪੇਸ਼ੇਵਰ ਅਤੇ ਵਪਾਰਕ ਲਾਇਸੰਸਿੰਗ ਸਿਸਟਮ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਕ ਡੇਟਾ ਉਲੰਘਣਾ ਦੀ ਪਛਾਣ ਕੀਤੀ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਸਿਰਫ਼ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵਿਤ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕੋਲ ਵਪਾਰਕ ਜਾਂ ਪੇਸ਼ੇਵਰ ਲਾਇਸੰਸ ਹਨ। ਡਰਾਈਵਰ, ਆਈ.ਡੀ., ਅਤੇ ਵਾਹਨ ਦੇ ਰਿਕਾਰਡ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵਿਤ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੋਏ ਸਨ।
ਅਸੀਂ ਤੁਹਾਡੀਆਂ ਚਿੰਤਾਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਮਝਦੇ ਹਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਸਥਿਤੀ ਨੂੰ ਜਲਦੀ ਤੋਂ ਜਲਦੀ ਠੀਕ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਕੰਮ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਾਂ। ਜਿਵੇਂ ਹੀ ਅਸੀਂ ਹੋਰ ਸਿੱਖਦੇ ਹਾਂ, ਅਸੀਂ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਅੱਪਡੇਟ ਕਰਨਾ ਜਾਰੀ ਰੱਖਾਂਗੇ।
ਅਸੀਂ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵਿਤ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਸੰਪਰਕ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਾਂ, ਅਤੇ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਮੁਫ਼ਤ ਕ੍ਰੈਡਿਟ ਨਿਗਰਾਨੀ ਵਰਗੇ ਸਰੋਤ ਦੇ ਰਹੇ ਹਾਂ।
ਨਵੀਨਤਮ ਅੱਪਡੇਟਾਂ ਲਈ, ਸਾਡੇ ਸੇਵਾ ਆਊਟੇਜ ਵੈੱਬਪੇਜ 'ਤੇ ਜਾਓ।
لقد اكتشفنا خرقًا للبيانات في نظام الترخيص المهني والتجاري لدينا. إنه يؤثر في الأشخاص الذين لديهم تراخيص تجارية أو مهنية فقط. لم تتأثر السجلات المتعلقة بالسائق والهوية والمركبة.
إننا نتفهم مخاوفك ونعمل على معالجة الموقف في أقرب وقت ممكن. سنواصل إطلاعك على المستجدات كلما نما إلى علمنا المزيد.
نتواصل مع المتضررين ونمنحهم الموارد، مثل مراقبة الرصيد مجانًا.
للتعرف على آخر المستجدات، يرجى زيارة صفحة الويب الخاصة بانقطاع الخدمة.
للتعرف على آخر المستجدات، يرجى زيارة صفحة الويب الخاصة بانقطاع الخدمة.
በሙያዊ እና የንግድ ፈቃድ አሰጣጥ ስርዓታችን ላይ የውሂብ ጥሰትን አግኝተናል። የሚጎዳው የንግድ ወይም የሙያ ፈቃድ ያላቸውን ሰዎች ብቻ ነው። የአሽከርካሪ፣ የመታወቂያ እና የተሽከርካሪ መዝገቦች አልተነኩም።
ስጋትዎን ተረድተናል እናም ሁኔታውን በተቻለ ፍጥነት ለማስተካከል እየሠራን ነው። ተጨማሪ ካወቅን ለእርስዎ ማሳወቃችንን እንቀጥላለን።
የተጎዱትን እያነጋገርን እንደ ነፃ የክሬዲት ክትትል ያሉ ግብዓቶችን እየሰጠን ነው።
ለአዳዲስ መረጃዎች፣ የአገልግሎት መቋረጥ ድረ-ገጽን ይጎብኙ።
Waxa aanu ogaanay in la jabsaday macluumaadka ku jira Nidaamkeena Liisanka Xirfadlaha iyo Ganacsiga. Waxay kaliya saamaysay dadka leh liisamada ganacsiga ama xirfadeed. Duwaanada dirawalada, aqoonsiga iyo gaadiidka may saamaynin.
Waxa aanu dareemi karnaa walaacyadaada oo waxa aanu ka shaqaynaynaa sidii aanu xaalada u xalin lahayn sida ugu dhakhsaha badan. Waxa aanu kula socodsiin doonaa marka aanu ogaano macluumaad dheeraad ah.
Waxa aanu la xidhiidhaynaa dadka ay saamaysay oo waxa aanu siinaynaa khayraadka sida dhibco la socod oo bilaash ah.
Wixii macluumaadka ugu danbeeya ah, booqo websaytkeena hakashada adeegyada.
हमने अपने व्यावसायिक और व्यापारिक लाइसेंसिंग सिस्टम में एक डेटा उल्लंघन की पहचान की है. यह केवल उन लोगों को प्रभावित करता है जिनके पास व्यापार या व्यवसाय लाइसेंस हैं. ड्राइवर, ID और वाहन के रिकॉर्ड प्रभावित नहीं हुए.
हम आपकी चिंताओं को समझते हैं और स्थिति का जल्द से जल्द समाधान करने के लिए काम कर रहे हैं. जैसे-जैसे हमें पता चलेगा हम आपको अपडेट करते रहेंगे.
हम प्रभावित लोगों से संपर्क कर रहे हैं और उन्हें मुफ़्त क्रेडिट मॉनिटरिंग जैसे संसाधन प्रदान कर रहे हैं.
नए अपडेट के लिए, हमारे सर्विस आउटेज वेबपेज पर जाएं.
What has changed?
- Was there unauthorized access to data at DOL?
- What information was accessed?
- What are you doing to protect me and my personal information/data?
- What if my license expires while the Professional and Business Licensing website is down?
Background
The Department of Licensing (DOL) does not just issue driver and vehicle licenses. It also issues licenses for 39 types of businesses and professions, including cosmetologists, real estate brokers, bail bondsmen, architects and driver training school instructors.
DOL maintains individual professional and occupational licensees’ information in a system known as the Professional Online Licensing and Regulatory Information System (POLARIS). You may know the system by its more common name, the “Professional and Business Licensing System.” For 23 different professions, the system processes, issues and renews license applications, accepts complaints from the public against license holders, and much more. The professional licensing system helps licensees monitor the status of their license and any requirements they may need to fulfill. The system also allows our licensing staff to readily assist customers with all their licensing needs, and it allows the public to see the status of a person’s license.
What happened?
During the week of Jan. 24, 2022, DOL became aware of suspicious activity involving professional and occupational license information (data) contained within the Professional and Business Licensing System. DOL immediately shut the system down and began its investigation with the assistance of the Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech). In addition, DOL retained the services of nationally recognized experts in cyber security and incident response. Law enforcement has also been alerted.
The portion of the system through which customers can apply for and renew professional licenses was brought back online March 1, 2022. A thorough security review has determined that that portion was not a part of the breach, and we are confident that putting it back online will not expose unauthorized data.
Was there unauthorized access to data at DOL?
Yes. based on our investigation, DOL has sufficient reason to believe the Professional and Business Licensing System was accessed and records were acquired without authorization.
If our investigation concludes that your sensitive information may have been affected, DOL will notify you. At this time, we estimate that about 650,000 individuals may be affected.
Our investigation also helped rule out any likelihood that other DOL systems, such as the driver and vehicle licensing system (DRIVES), were compromised. That said, we are still monitoring all our systems very carefully.
What types of professional license information (data) does DOL collect?
The Professional and Business Licensing System stores information about its license holders and applicants. The types of information may be different for different types of licenses. Some of the categories of information include social security numbers, dates of birth, driver license numbers, and other personally identifiable information.
What information was accessed?
Although the specific types of information in our system can be different for individuals based on the type of license they hold, our records contain sensitive information such as social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and dates of birth. We will be providing notification and assistance to everyone whose sensitive data is contained within the Professional and Business Licensing System and may have been exposed. Individuals within our system include active licensees; certain individuals with, for example, expired, revoked, and cancelled licenses; and other individuals listed as contacts for licensed businesses.
What are you doing to protect me and my personal information/data?
We take your privacy and the security of your personal information very seriously. Immediately upon learning of suspicious activity in our Professional and Business Licensing System, we temporarily closed the system. We are starting the process of notifying those who may be impacted and are offering credit monitoring and identity theft protection to them.
Our information technology experts are working to ensure that the system is safe before re-opening website access. DOL is also taking steps to reduce the risk of these types of incidents occurring in the future by implementing additional technical safeguards and system monitoring capabilities.
What can I do right now if I am worried?
If our investigation determines that your sensitive information may have been affected, we will notify you and provide you with additional information and assistance at that time.
In the meantime, if you have a professional license issued by DOL and are concerned about the security of your sensitive information, here are some proactive steps any individual may consider:
- Remain vigilant – We encourage you to remain vigilant by reviewing your account statements and free credit reports.
- Consider placing a fraud alert or security freeze on your credit file – Credit bureaus have tools you can use to protect your credit, including fraud alerts and security freezes.
- Report suspicious activity – If you believe you are the victim of fraud or identity theft, file a police report and get a copy of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of a crime to clear up your records. The report may also provide you with access to services that are free to identity theft victims.
What are some additional resources available to me?
Resources for protecting your credit include the Washington State Office of the Attorney General at https://www.atg.wa.gov/credit-reports and the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft. The Internal Revenue Service also provides a way to safeguard your tax filings against fraud.
If you see a notification from us that your data may have been compromised, you will receive instructions for how to activate free credit monitoring.
What actions are being taken regarding the Professional and Business Licensing System?
On January 24, 2022, we temporarily shut down the professional licensing system in order to protect those people who have professional and occupational licenses while we conduct a thorough investigation. We are working to secure the system so that DOL can continue to serve its professional and occupational license holders while also keeping their information safe.
What if my license expired while the Professional and Business Licensing website was down?
DOL will not fine, penalize, or sanction a person for failing to renew their license during this shutdown. The agency will prioritize renewals based on the license expiration date.
