KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2026 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Arizona Supreme Court breach exposed 1.3 million Social Security numbers

Getty Images

The Arizona Supreme Court says a recent cyberattack revealed sensitive information belonging to people who owe unpaid court fees, fines and restitution.

Last week, hackers accessed the Supreme Court’s systems using a phishing email.

Now, the court announced they were able to download information about people referred to the statewide FARE program, which handles outstanding court-ordered debts from civil, traffic and criminal violations.

That information includes names and social security numbers belonging to around 1.3 million people who accrued debts over the past 30 years.

“The data was copied from a back-up server where highly compressed information is maintained. The court has no evidence that any data has been accessed, is readable, or has been shared. No court records were deleted or altered,” according to a statement from the Arizona Supreme Court.

The announcement came a day after the court said the hackers accessed reports about children in the state’s foster care system.

The court is notifying affected individuals via text message and will also include information about the breach in mailed collections notices.

The court is urging those affected by the cyberattack to freeze or put a hold on their credit and visit identify theft and data breach sites maintained by the Federal Trade Commission and Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

The FBI is investigating the incident.

More Arizona politics news

Wayne Schutsky is a senior field correspondent covering Arizona politics on KJZZ. He has over a decade of experience as a journalist reporting on local communities in Arizona and the state Capitol.