More than 3 million Texas hunting and fishing license holders may have had their personal information exposed in a cybersecurity incident involving a third-party vendor that manages license sales for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, according to officials.
The incident was detected by Texas Cyber Command and is currently under investigation. Authorities said the affected system was operated by an external license system vendor that handles the sale of Hunting and fishing licenses in Texas.
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Personal Data Potentially Accessed
Officials said preliminary findings indicate that an unauthorised actor may have obtained access to personal information belonging to license holders.
The potentially exposed data includes driver’s license information, passport numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and residential addresses. Authorities stated that Social Security numbers, dates of birth and financial information, including credit card details, were not accessed. Officials also said there is no evidence that individuals under the age of 18 were affected.
Free Credit Monitoring Offered
Texas residents who may have been impacted are being offered one year of free credit monitoring services through Kroll. Officials advised affected individuals to contact the dedicated support line to confirm eligibility.
The enrolment deadline for the credit monitoring service has been set for September 14, 2026. A support centre has also been made available on weekdays to answer questions related to the incident and available assistance.
Department Strengthens Security Measures
Officials urged affected individuals to closely monitor their credit reports for suspicious activity and report any unauthorised transactions to banks or credit bureaus. They also recommended placing credit freezes or fraud alerts on accounts and remaining cautious of potential scams involving stolen personal information.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said it is working with the vendor to introduce additional safeguards and enhanced monitoring measures. Authorities stated that steps have already been taken to strengthen access controls for customer data, and further security features will be implemented. License sales are expected to continue as scheduled for August and the next license year.
