PHOENIX — An Arizona woman with a protective order against an alleged abuser says she is changing how she lives after learning sensitive court records may have been copied in a recent cyberattack on the state court system.
ABC15 identified her only as Stephanie, withholding her last name because of the nature of the order. She said her file includes the names and addresses of family members. “It exposed my name, my children’s name, my address, my mother’s address,” she told the station. She obtained the order after documenting threats against her and her family, including threats to kill her and her youngest child.
Late last month she received an email warning that information linked to her protective order may have been among data copied in the attack. She first suspected a scam, then confirmed the notice was legitimate and began hardening her own security — routing mail through a P.O. box, installing cameras, and buying identity-theft protection. “I’ve had to do my own research on how to keep myself safe,” she said.
Arizona Courts say both active and inactive protective-order records were among the copied material, and about 170,000 people with protective orders may potentially be affected. The breach also touched the state’s Fines/Fees and Restitution Enforcement (FARE) program: more than 1 million people dating back 30 years may potentially be affected, with records that can include names, case numbers and Social Security numbers, according to court officials.
Officials say the intrusion appears to have begun when a court employee clicked a malicious link in a phishing email. Chief Justice Ann Timmer apologized and said much of the copied material came from a highly compressed backup server, leaving it unclear how easily the data can be read. There is currently no evidence the information has been shared, Timmer said, and investigators — including the FBI and Arizona State Police — do not yet know who is behind the attack.
Courts stress that existing protective orders remain valid and do not need to be refiled. Stephanie still wants more help for people whose private data may have been swept up. “I think they should be supplying the LifeLock. They should be furnishing the funds,” she said.