Hackers break into state Web site, take credit card numbers
ackers who broke into the state's Web site claim to have stolen as many as 53,000 credit card numbers. Thomas Viall, the site's manager, confirmed the break-in Thursday but said far fewer credit card numbers were stolen. He works for New England Interactive, a private company that runs the state's Web site.
The theft occurred Dec. 28. The hackers posted an account on a Russian Web site two weeks ago. State officials learned of it Thursday after reports began circulating by e-mail.
The hackers said they used Google to search the Web for bits of computer code that indicate a site is vulnerable to a break-in. They narrowed their search to government sites, eventually focusing on RI.gov.
