DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Server hacked at OSU Medical Center

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Dissent

Encarnacion Pyle reports:

Ohio State University Medical Center has notified 30 patients and 150 students that a hacker might have accessed their names, medical information and/or Social Security numbers.

Officials said there is no indication that any personal information was taken or that the incident has resulted in identity theft, but they are providing 12 months of free credit-monitoring services as a precaution.

“It seems that a hacker from a foreign country tried to get into an Internet server, but it doesn’t appear as though they got any patient information or personal information for any of our current or former students,” said David Crawford, a medical-center spokesman.

Read more on The Columbus Dispatch.

It’s interesting that it was the state that notified them of a problem involving a pathology department server. I wonder how the state became aware of it.  And why the medical center hadn’t been aware of it on its own.  It’s also troubling that it took an extensive forensic analysis for them to realize that the server contained two databases of personal information that should not have been on that server.  If you don’t know you’ve got personal data on a server, are you as vigilant in protecting the server?  How did the databases get there? I hope OSU figures this out – and that they implement a thorough audit/investigation of all servers to determine what else might contain personal data that is not supposed to be there.  Consider this:

One contained the names, medical-record numbers and diagnoses of 30 people who had been patients of the pathology department from the late 1980s to 2004. The other was a roster of students who had trained at the medical center in 2006. The list included the students’ names and Social Security numbers.

These were old data. They could have remained there forever without any awareness on OSU’s part – ripe for hacking.

OSU is clearly not the only medical center to have this type of situation and I don’t want to point a finger at them as if they are somehow more lax in security than any comparable center. But I do think it highlights some of the risks and why periodic and thorough audits are needed.

Category: Health Data

Post navigation

← Sg: Doctor fined, censured for spying at patients' records
Prime Healthcare defends its disclosure of patient records – are they begging for a federal and state prosecution or what? →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Hearing on the Federal Government and AI
  • Nigerian National Sentenced To More Than Five Years For Hacking, Fraud, And Identity Theft Scheme
  • Data breach of patient info ends in firing of Miami hospital employee
  • Texas DOT investigates breach of crash report records, sends notification letters
  • PowerSchool hacker pleads guilty, released on personal recognizance bond
  • Rewards for Justice offers $10M reward for info on RedLine developer or RedLine’s use by foreign governments
  • New evidence links long-running hacking group to Indian government
  • Zaporizhzhia Cyber ​​Police Exposes Hacker Who Caused Millions in Losses to Victims by Mining Cryptocurrency
  • Germany fines Vodafone $51 million for privacy, security breaches
  • Google: Hackers target Salesforce accounts in data extortion attacks

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • The Decision That Murdered Privacy
  • Hearing on the Federal Government and AI
  • California county accused of using drones to spy on residents
  • How the FBI Sought a Warrant to Search Instagram of Columbia Student Protesters
  • Germany fines Vodafone $51 million for privacy, security breaches
  • Malaysia enacts data sharing rules for public sector
  • U.S. Enacts Take It Down Act

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.