HIPAA requires that covered entities notify HHS and affected patients of a reportable breach within 60 calendar days of discovery of a breach. Exceptions are made if law enforcement asks an entity to delay notification so as not to interfere with an investigation, but such requests are infrequent. So why are we first finding out…
Month: May 2023
Cuba ransomware claims cyberattack on Philadelphia Inquirer
Bill Toulas reports: The Cuba ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for this month’s cyberattack on The Philadelphia Inquirer, which temporarily disrupted the newspaper’s distribution and disrupted some business operations. The Philadelphia Inquirer is Philadelphia’s largest (by circulation) newspaper. It is the third-longest continuously operating daily newspaper in the U.S., founded in 1829, and it has…
UK: Dorchester school’s IT system struck by ransomware attack
Faye Tryhorn reports: A Dorchester school’s been hit by a cyber attack, with hackers demanding a ransom. The Thomas Hardye School’s IT systems and website went down on Sunday night (21st May) with the problem discovered before lessons started on Monday morning. The school remains open, with teaching adapted as needed, and exams continuing as…
IT employee impersonates ransomware gang to extort employer
Bill Toulas reports: A 28-year-old United Kingdom man from Fleetwood, Hertfordshire, has been convicted of unauthorized computer access with criminal intent and blackmailing his employer. A press release published yesterday by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) explains that in February 2018, the convicted man, Ashley Liles, worked as an IT Security Analyst…
After ransomware attack, state’s second-largest health insurer says patient data were stolen
Jessica Bartlett reports: The second-largest health insurer in Massachusetts said that patient data had been copied and taken from its systems during a recent data breach and that it is notifying patients that their information may have been compromised. Point32Health, which is the parent company of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, has been actively…
Update: NCB Management Services breach affected more than 1 million, but how many more? (1)
On April 11, DataBreaches reported that a breach involving NCB Management had affected 494,969 Bank of America customers with past-due credit card accounts. At first glance, it appeared that the Pennsylvania collections firm had reported the breach to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, but closer attention revealed that it was Bank of America’s external counsel…