Almost 300K TxDOT crash reports downloaded in data breach

AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 2,000 people have reached out to a call center since the Texas Department of Transportation notified Texans two weeks ago that someone had downloaded almost 300,000 crash reports.

Any time Texas law enforcement responds to a crash where someone is hurt or killed or property is damaged, they create a report which must be uploaded to TxDOT. They include information about the crash, including names, addresses, driver license numbers, license plate numbers and insurance information. Those reports are kept for 10 years plus the current year, according to TxDOT's website.

TxDOT said in early June that it "identified unusual activity" in its system on May 12, and determined a compromised account had accessed hundreds of thousands of crash reports. It disabled access to that account.

"Notification, in this case, is not required by law, but TxDOT has taken proactive steps to inform the public by sending letters to notify the impacted individuals whose information was included in the crash reports," TxDOT said in a release. Those people can call a dedicated assistance line (1-833-918-5951) and provide a number included in the letter to get help.

TxDOT said it already added "additional layers of activity monitoring to ensure early detection of any and all suspicious activity."

"TxDOT took immediate action to increase monitoring to detect any similar compromises faster," the department told KXAN.

The Department of Public Safety is investigating the breach.