A hacker has broken into the Foothills Park & Recreation District’s computer system in south Jefferson County and could use information to commit identity theft, officials warned Wednesday.
The information accessed by the hacker may contain credit-card information and other personal data, said Ronald Hopp, executive director of the district.
Hopp said that the number of people potentially impacted is “significant, certainly in the thousands of patrons.”
The information would belong to people who have registered for classes either online or at or one of the district’s facilities.
The Foothills Park & Recreation District in Littleton serves one of the most-affluent parts of the metro area, with many homes in adjacent neighborhoods costing more than a million dollars.
“It is very disturbing that despite the security measures that were in effect, a rogue hacker was still successful in obtaining the information,” Hopp said. “Additional protections are being installed, and online registration will not be available until these measures are implemented.”
Both the district and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office are investigating.
Hopp said investigators believe that a “sophisticated operation,” with possible international overtones, targeted the district’s system.
He said that beginning last week, numerous viruses attacked the system, which investigators now believe was part of the hacker’s preliminary plan to get into the system.
Hopp said the hacking was verified Monday.
Specialists are determining just how many patrons’ data were compromised, he said.
A network-security consultant will audit the system and make recommendations for future security measures.
Hopp said a thorough review is being undertaken to eliminate the possibility of hacking in the future.
District patrons whose information may have been obtained by the hacker will be notified by the district directly and will be provided additional information.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
Precautions for patrons
Ronald Hopp, executive director of Foothills Park & Recreation District, said patrons, as a precaution, should contact the three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — and request that a “fraud alert” be placed on their files.
It also is suggested that they ask for a credit report from each agency and review them carefully.
The district has created an information page on its website — securityalert/ — for those who think their personal information may have been obtained by the hackers. It also has set up a phone number — 303-409-2124 — to answer specific questions not addressed on the website.
