Monster breach hits South Carolina taxpayers

The state of South Carolina is engaged in an “unprecedented response” following a massive breach in which hackers stole 3.6 million Social Security numbers and 387,000 credit and debit card numbers, officials said Friday.

The incident affected the state’s Department of Revenue, and any person who filed a South Carolina tax return since 1998 is being asked to monitor their credit reports for potential fraud. The state is providing them with one year of free identity theft protection.