A hacker who broke into an Indiana government web site and compromised the identities of 71,000 health care workers and 5,600 people who purchased government services online has also targeted other state government web sites.

Because, of course, that’s where the money is.

While officials in Indiana tried to write it off as a harmless prank played by a teenager, the U.S. Department of Justice has also been investigating the case, and they believe the same hacker is responsible for attempts on other state government web sites.

On January 3, a hacker broke into Indiana’s government web site and made off with personal information for 71,000 health care aides who obtained certifications from the state, as well as 5,600 credit card numbers from people who had paid the state through the IN.gov web site.

The Indiana Office of Technology issued an advisory that law enforcement agents notified executives there that charges are pending in the case, and that the U.S. Department of Justice believes the person who hacked into the Indiana government site is responsible for security breaches at other government sites in other states.

Attorneys for the Justice Department don’t comment on ongoing investigations.

“While we are pleased to hear that a suspect has been identified and charges will be brought, we regret that other states have suffered from this same hacker,” said Gerry Weaver, Indiana’s CIO, in a written statement. “Regardless, this news does not distract us from our primary objective: ensuring the security of IN.gov.” — Information Week

And we’re supposed to trust you?

The web site’s director called the attack “sophisticated” and said that the attack “took a level of expertise we hadn’t seen before.” Everyone else on the Internet has. Are we supposed to believe you’re incompetent?

Out of this whole fiasco, I really feel sorry for the 71,000 health care workers who thought they were doing the right thing by begging the state for permission to work and paying the bribes demanded of them. They got screwed by the state twice.