A Connecticut-based healthcare provider has confirmed that a hacker was able to access the sensitive data of more than a million patients.
Newsweek has contacted Community Health Center (CHC) and Joseph V. DeMarco, Partner at DeMarco Law PLLC who filed the data breach notification, via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Cyberattacks on healthcare providers have increased in the U.S. in recent years. According to a report released on January 21 by Netwrix, a vendor specializing in cybersecurity solutions, 84 percent of organizations in the healthcare sector spotted a cyberattack on their infrastructure in the last 12 months.
Due to the sensitivity of health information, the hacking of healthcare provider data can cause severe concerns among the general public and various stakeholders.
What To Know
Connecticut healthcare provider CHC, which provides services to more than 145,000 Connecticut residents, confirmed in a letter to patients that on January 2 they noticed "unusual activity in our computer systems."
A filing of the data breach shared with the office of Maine's Attorney General revealed that the attack was believed to have happened months before on October 14, 2024.
The filling also specifies that 1,060,936 people have been affected by the data breach.
The provider said in its letter that they brought in experts to investigate the issue, and it was found that a "skilled criminal hacker" had accessed the system and "took some data, which might include your personal information."
It is believed that the hacker's access was blocked within hours, and that currently there is no threat to the provider's data systems.
The CHC said that the kind of personal information that may have been accessed or taken by the hacker could include any patient's name, date of birth, address, phone number, email, diagnoses, treatment details, test results, Social Security number, and health insurance information.
No information was deleted, and the hacker did not lock any of the data or affect the provider's daily operations, CHC added.
What People Are Saying
Community Health Center, said in its letter to patients: "We've strengthened our security and added special software to watch for suspicious activity. We are also working to make sure your information stays safe in the future."
"We sincerely regret any inconvenience resulting from this criminal activity and thank you for your continued support of CHC," the provider added.
What's Next
The CHC said int is note that so far there has been "no sign that your information has been misused," and the provider is offering free identity theft protection through IDX, a company that it has hired to help handle the situation. Alongside that, CHC is also offering a $1,000,000 insurance reimbursement policy.
Patients of the provider have been encouraged to contact IDX with any questions and to sign up for the identity theft protection.