Health law attorney Matthew Fisher writes: Not a day can go by anymore without a report of at least one data breach (and likely more) or a cyber attack on a healthcare organization. The pace of attacks seemed to increase as the world shutdown in from COVID-19 and security concerns have only continued to increase….
Category: Health Data
Forefront Dermatology notifying patients and employees about ransomware incident
Update November 17, 2022: Forefront has reportedly settled a class action lawsuit for $3.75 million. Update: July 12, 2021: Post-publication, DataBreaches.net learned that external counsel for Forefront Management, LLC and Forefront Dermatology, S.C. reported the incident to the Maine Attorney General’s Office as impacting 4,431 patients. On July 14, however, this incident was added to…
Kroger reaches $5M settlement with Accellion breach victims, as Supreme Court defines ‘actual harm’
Jessica Davis reports: Kroger reached a $5 million lawsuit settlement with individuals impacted by a breach reported in February. The settlement was the third legal action tied to a health care data breach this week, shedding light on the rise in breach-related lawsuit trends in the sector in the last few years. Read more on…
Ca: Horizon employee fired after ‘significant privacy breach’ at Charlotte County Hospital
Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon reports: A Horizon Health Network employee has been fired after they “inappropriately accessed” the personal health information of 1,251 people at Charlotte County Hospital in St. Stephen, N.B., allegedly “out of curiosity.” In a statement, Horizon’s vice-president of quality and patient-centred care, Margaret Melanson, describes the situation as a “significant privacy breach.” Read…
NZ: Whanganui DHB apologizes after vaccine privacy breach
Mike Tweed reports: Whanganui District Health Board has apologised for a privacy breach that accidentally disclosed the email addresses of about 200 people. The health board has been inviting people in Group 3 for their Covid-19 vaccine via text, letter and email, but last week an email was sent without the use of the blind…
Spanish King’s health info exposed due to vulnerability in COVID certificate portal
Katie Harris reports: King Felipe VI of Spain’s health data has been exposed in a security breach, insiders fear. The royal was among thousands affected by the computer security failure of the Madrid health system. The breach meant people’s private data such as their telephone number, social security number and address could be accessed by…