Important notice regarding our email and text bulletin system

Kitsap Public Health District shares a GovDelivery digital communications account with Kitsap County government. We use GovDelivery to send email and text notifications to people who subscribe to receive public health advisories and updates. We also use GovDelivery to send information to stakeholders, including healthcare providers and environmental health permit holders.

Kitsap County sent the following notification to GovDelivery subscribers on March 28:

We are writing to inform you that an unauthorized third party accessed GovDelivery, which is the Kitsap County Electronic Notification System, this week. They were able to access a list of email addresses of users who asked to subscribe to County newsletters and bulletins.

After that system access, some subscribers received emails through the GovDelivery system erroneously advising that they have unclaimed money in a cryptocurrency account. This email was unauthorized and would never be sent by Kitsap County. For this, we apologize.

What Happened?

On Wednesday, March 26, an unauthorized third party accessed a database containing the email addresses of the subscribers to the Kitsap County Electronic Notification System. In response, the County took appropriate action immediately to secure the account and prevent further access. The County Information Services Department conducted an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident, as well as the information accessed.

We were able to confirm that the third party was only able to access the email list of subscribers. Again, no personal or financial subscriber data was compromised.

What Are We Doing?

The County takes data security very seriously. We have enhanced existing security measures and are reviewing protocols to prevent this from happening in the future.

What You Should Do

While no immediate action is required on your part, we recommend remaining vigilant against potential phishing emails and unsolicited messages. It is a best practice to not respond or click on any links in emails that appear suspicious or unusual, even from trusted senders. Below is information and resources regarding identity theft prevention and reporting.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please contact us at Kitsap1 at 360.337.5777.

We sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to protect your privacy.

Sincerely,

Torie Brazitis

County Administrator

View the full notification for more information and resources.

If you have any questions about the public health notifications you receive through GovDelivery, please email pio@kitsappublichealth.org.