Kentucky's online unemployment system has gone dark while the state implements another round of security upgrades meant to thwart increasingly sophisticated fraudsters.
The processing of claims continues, but the public-facing side of the online system won't be available to Kentuckians looking to file claims until next week.
"The systems will be back again and available on Tuesday and everyone is going to have to reregister your account," the governor's general counsel, Amy Cubbage, explained Thursday. "Even if you recently went through that process on the new portal, all of that is going to be wiped out."
The reason — cyber criminals are using computer programs to guess account PIN numbers, a process only made easier when claimants choose simple codes like "1111" or "2020." Cubbage said thousands of applicants have done just that, but the new system will double the length of the PIN numbers and require the creation of new, more complicated 12-character passwords.
For now, users will have to wait to file claims or change their information, but the unemployment office will back-date any new claims that are filed while the system is down.
