Oof. This notification from the New Jersey Spine Center, sent to patients on September 22, describes a real disaster where not only essential patient files and credit card information were locked up, but their most recent backup was too. No wonder they paid the ransom. On July 27, 2016, our computer systems were attacked by a malware…
Category: Health Data
Hackers attack Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske and hold bosses to ransom over stolen information
LynBarton reports: Cyber criminals have made “multiple” attacks on Cornwall’s main hospital in the past year with repeated attempts to hold health bosses to ransom by stealing sensitive information. According to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, the IT system of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) was once infected ransom-ware, a type of malicious software…
AU: Privacy watchdog called after Health Department data breach
Noel Towell and Rania Spooner report: Health Minister Sussan Ley has apologised to doctors over the accidental leaking of sensitive Medicare data. The federal privacy watchdog will assess Health Department claims that no patients’ medical information has been released after sensitive information on the Pharmaceutical Benefits and Medicare Benefits schemes was accidentally leaked by the department. […] The department…
Alberta Hospital Edmonton notifying 1,300 of snooping employee
Keith Gerein reports: A former employee of Alberta Hospital Edmonton inappropriately accessed the records of more than 1,300 patients, Alberta Health Services announced Monday in what is believed to be the province’s largest deliberate breach of health information. “In terms of a unique individual inappropriately accessing health care records, it is not within the scope…
Newest OCR settlement highlights need to review and update Business Associate Agreements
A newly announced settlement between HHS OCR and Care New England reinforces what DataBreaches.net and Protenus, Inc. have been trying to remind everyone of this week: pay more attention to your business associate agreements and do so regularly. Care New England Health System (CNE), on behalf of each of the covered entities under its common ownership…
CT: Hospital Patients Caught in Identity Theft Ring
NBC reports: Federal investigators say two women orchestrated an identity theft ring that targeted at least 20 people in the greater New Haven area. But it’s how suspects Jamila Williams-Stevenson and Loretta Coburn are said to have gotten some of their victim’s personal information that is most shocking. Authorities said several of the alleged victims…