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Kitsap Mental Health Services breach impacted sensitive patient information (1)

Posted on December 15, 2024December 15, 2024 by Dissent

Update: DataBreaches did not spot it earlier, but on December 12, Kitsap Mental Health Services posted a notice on its website about a cyberattack that it reportedly detected on October 17, 2024. Investigation revealed that on September 17 and between October 8, 2024, and October 19, 2024, there was unauthorized access to their network and the following types of data may have been impacted: name, address, birth date, Social Security number, driver’s license or state identification number, medical diagnosis, condition, and/or treatment information, medications, claims information, financial information, and any information on an individual that was created, used, or disclosed in the course of providing health care services.

Preliminary Inspection of Data Tranche

The leaked data, if verified, appear concerning. KMHS prepared an entire PowerPoint presentation on cybersecurity last year that stressed that cybersecurity was important because “It safeguards our agency from internal and external cyber-attacks, guarantees the availability of medical services, maintains confidentiality, the integrity of patient data, and complies with industry regulations.”

Except…. they appeared to have had a security-related file connected to the internet that has 750 past and current login credentials with usernames, passwords, URLs, and notes for their important accounts. All in clear text.

And except…. they had a report on the findings of their 2024 security assessment by their contracted vendor that shows where all their vulnerabilities are.  And the report is all in clear text.

And except….  DataBreaches sees numerous scanned reports or .pdf files with protected health information on KMHS patients that include their name, address, date of birth, diagnoses, labs, medications, treatment records, SSN, health insurance information, and billing account information.  While the filenames do not include patient names or date of birth, another leaked file contains almost 50,000 patient first and last names with corresponding client IDs. There was also a directory with passport images.

Assuming for now that all of the files are real and not fake (DataBreaches has not attempted to contact any patients but KMHS did post confirmation of a cyberattack that occurred in September and October), KMHS will have a lot notifications to make to regulators and patients.

Is This a Ransomware or Extortion Group?

Most groups’ “about” pages stress that a group is financially motivated. There is no such claim on this dark web site. To the contrary, they claim, “we’re a digital watchdog operating at the intersection of cybersecurity, internet freedom, and investigative journalism. We delve into the hidden corners of the web, exposing truths and uncovering stories that are often buried by mainstream media or distorted by corporate interests.” Color DataBreaches skeptical, especially after reading their FAQ that says there are no refunds. Refunds for what? There is nothing on their site that talks about buying data or paying them for anything. So what is that refund statement about?  The blog’s pages and listings look like they were generated by AI.

The person or persons behind this web site do not provide real contact information. If they would like to get in touch wtih DataBreaches, we would like to learn more about what they are doing.

DataBreaches has emailed KMHS to inquire whether they received any extortion demand, and if so, how they have responded.

This post was updated to report that KMHS had confirmed a data breach and that DataBreaches had now sent a follow-up inquiry.

Category: Commentaries and AnalysesHealth DataHIPAAU.S.

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