Officials are investigating a data breach of backup files in a system used by the Montana Supreme Court for appellate cases and electronic filing, according to a news release from the Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Cory Swanson.
West Publishing Co., which operates as Thomson Reuters, informed the Montana Office of Court Administrator on July 23 that the unauthorized access of C-Track, its case management system, took place from March through June 2026.
The breach included data from multiple state courts and was stored entirely in a Thomson Reuters system and not the fault of Montana or other state court systems, according to the news release.
Thomson Reuters and court tech experts are reviewing the data to determine if any private or confidential information was disclosed. Most information appears to be publicly available already, but some driver's license numbers or dates of birth, known as Personally Identifiable Information, was also discovered.
Thomson Reuters will provide 12 months of free credit monitoring and identify theft protection service to any victims.
Those who think their data may have been exposed can visit https://www.ctracknotification.com or call 1-833-918-5294 Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Mountain time (excluding major U.S. holidays). If you have a speech or hearing impairment and use a TTY, please call 711. Be prepared to provide engagement number B171847.
Here's the full news release:
Montana Supreme Court Discloses Discovery of Unauthorized Access to Court Data
C-Track Case Management System, Owned by Thomson Reuters,
Incident Affected Multiple States
Helena, Montana – Today Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Cory Swanson announced that West Publishing Company, d/b/a Thomson Reuters, informed the Montana Office of Court Administrator (OCA) of an unauthorized access to court backup data files in the C-Track Case Management System (C-Track). Thomson Reuters (TR) is an international company which operates C-Track, the case management system used by the Montana Supreme Court for its appellate cases, and E-Filing, the electronic filing system for Montana’s court system.
According to the notice from TR, the unauthorized access occurred in March 2026 and ended in June. TR informed Montana Court Administrator Dave McAlpin on July 23, 2026, of the unauthorized access to Montana’s C-Track and E-Filing backup data, which was stored on TR’s servers. This access included backup data from several other state courts, not just Montana. The data was stored entirely in a TR system, and was not the fault of Montana or any other state court system.
In the days following, TR provided the OCA staff a copy of Montana’s court data that had been accessed. Both the court’s technology team and TR IT security personnel are reviewing the data to determine if any private or confidential information was accessed. Most of the accessed data appears to be publicly available information. However, the court’s technology team discovered some Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) in the accessed data files, such as driver license numbers and dates of birth. The technology team continues to review the data files to identify PII.
Since being notified, the Montana court team has worked with TR personnel and TR cybersecurity vendors, and has also received assistance from experts from the National Center for State Courts (“NCSC”), and Court teams from other states. Court personnel continue to work collaboratively with TR and other experts to search for other vulnerabilities, and to notify individuals whose PII may have been exposed.
Montana Chief Justice Cory Swanson said, “Since learning of the data breach, the Montana court team has worked tirelessly to identify whether any Montanan has been harmed by it. We appreciate the rapid support of other State Supreme Courts and the National Center for State Courts. We will continue to work with the TR and C-Track teams to ensure our courts operate without fear of compromise of personal privacy.”
TR issued its own announcement of the unauthorized access and established a program to provide resources to anyone who may be affected by it. TR will provide 12 months of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to anyone who has been affected. Montanans who believe their PII may have been included in this data breach should go to https://www.ctracknotification.com or call 1-833-918-5294 toll free Monday through Friday between 8am and 8pm Central Time (excluding major U.S. holidays). If you have a speech or hearing impairment and use a TTY, please call 711. Be prepared to provide engagement number B171847.
The Montana court team will provide updates as they learn more.
Helpful Questions and Answers:
- Who was potentially affected by this incident?
Anyone who has been a party to a case in any Montana state court may have PII at risk due to the unauthorized access. People who have been charged with state crimes should pay particular attention because PII is typically included when criminal charges are filed.
- What is C-Track?
C-Track is software used by the Montana Supreme Court to keep track of Supreme Court case information. It is owned and operated by TR.
- What is E-Filing?
E-Filing is software used for submitting filings in Montana’s court system. It is also owned and operated by TR.
- What Montana data was compromised?
Copies of the comprised databases, which had been supplied to TR for the purpose of troubleshooting the applications, were accessed by an unauthorized third party. Information in these databases may include case numbers, party names, party addresses, phone numbers, some driver’s license numbers and some dates of birth of individuals charged with a crime, the charge, and docket entry descriptions. Court documents were not included in the incident.
- When did the unauthorized access happen?
Unauthorized access to the TR storage location occurred from March 1, 2026, through June 29, 2026. TR has confirmed the Montana court system was not at fault for the unauthorized access.
- When did the Montana court team receive notice of the unauthorized access?
Montana first received notice on July 23, 2026.
- Why did the Montana court team wait until September 2 to disclose the data use to the public?
When we learned of the unauthorized access, we also learned many other states were similarly affected. We worked closely with the other states, TR, and the NCSC to understand the scope and its impact upon Montana court users. We were informed the unauthorized access had occurred from March to June 2026, so any immediate action to stop the unauthorized access was not a factor. Once we learned the extent of the incident, we coordinated with TR and the other impacted states to issue simultaneous public announcements of this large scale event.
- How do I know if my information was compromised?
Visit the website https://www.ctracknotification.com or call 1-833-918-5294 toll free Monday through Friday between 8am and 8pm Central Time (excluding major U.S. holidays). If you have a speech or hearing impairment and use a TTY, please call 711. Be prepared to provide engagement number B171847.
- What resources can I access to help monitor my credit or other effects of this information use?
TR will provide 12 months of free credit monitoring and fraud protection services for affected users.
