Quest Diagnostics is notifying some employees that some of their personal information was inadvertently attached to an email sent outside the company. The email gaffe occurred on November 17, when a report containing employee information was attached to an email sent to two individuals with whom the firm has a business relationship. The error was reported…
Category: Health Data
Sony Pictures admits HIPAA data might have been compromised during breach
Steve Ragan reports: In a breach notification letter sent to employees this week, Sony Pictures outlines the full scope of data that was compromised by attackers shortly before the Thanksgiving holiday. […] “In addition, unauthorized individuals may have obtained (ix) HIPAA protected health information, such as name, Social Security Number, claims, appeals information you submitted…
VA provides snapshot into their infosecurity defense
The Veterans Administration has introduced a new snapshot element to their monthly reports to Congress, and it’s informative. For the month of October, they report: Intrusion Attempts (Blocked): 12,148,205 Malware (Blocked/Contained): 206,564,180 Suspicious/Malicious Emails (Blocked): 71,598,834 Infected Medical Devices (Contained)** 27 Outgoing Unencrypted Emails (Blocked) 96 ** Running total of medical device infections for which remediation efforts are underway In…
In Illinois– Identity Thieves Have an Ally
Like too many consumers, reporter Evelyn Wilkerson seems to have been living under a rock: Sometimes in journalism, a story appears right in front of you. That’s what happened with Eyewitness news Morning Anchor, Evelyn Wilkerson — when a family friend became a victim of identity theft after having a stroke. So, she dug into…
KR: College student arrested for hacking 104 websites
Koh Seok-Seung reports: The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced yesterday that it has arrested a 20-year-old college student yesterday on the suspicion of hacking 104 websites across 24 countries in a bid to show off his technical prowess. The student, surnamed Jang, collected 280,000 pieces of information from November 2013 to August by hacking various…
Goldilocks and the three data breach estimates
Estimate in haste, repent in leisure? Over on PHIprivacy.net, I recently reported on a breach in Jersey City involving patient records stolen from a shed behind a doctor’s office. The first media report, on NJ.com, said Dr. Nisar A. Quraishi told police that 40,000 patients’ records had been stolen. At 40,000, that incident would qualify as the second largest breach…