The governor said data stolen in the RIBridges cyberattack could be sold or distributed by next week. Here's advice from a cybersecurity expert.

RIBridges gives access to benefits like Medicare and SNAP, as well as to Rhode Island’s healthcare marketplace website.

The state of Rhode Island has been hit with a major cyberattack, putting at risk the private data of possibly hundreds of thousands of people, including social security numbers and addresses, officials said.

The governor said "a cybercriminal had installed dangerous malware that constituted an urgent threat" requiring the RIBridges system to be shut down.

The state of Friday took down its online portal used by residents to obtain social services such as SNAP and Medicaid benefits, as well as health insurance through HealthSourceRI after being hit by a massive cyberattack.