DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Med-Data data leak $7M class action settlement

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Dissent

There is an update to a data leak incident discovered and reported by independent researcher Jelle Ursem and DataBreaches.net in April 2021.  Top Class Actions reports that Med-Data, a business associate that handles health insurance claims data, has agreed to pay $7 million to resolve claims that one of its employees publicly posted patient information on GitHub in 2018 and 2019 and that Med-Data failed to timely notify those affected once they learned of the leak.

As reported previously, Ursem discovered the exposed data on GitHub in 2020, but attempts to engage in responsible disclosure initially failed multiple times, with Med-Data even blocking him on LinkedIn and failing to respond to DataBreaches.net. Eventually, a call to their lawyer got them to take our messages seriously.  The exposed data included patients’ names, in combination with one or more of the following data elements: physical address, date of birth, Social Security number, diagnosis, condition, claim information, date of service, subscriber ID (subscriber IDs may be Social Security numbers), medical procedure codes, provider name, and health insurance policy number.

Med-Data’s attempt to clean up their mess hit an unusual obstacle, though: some of the data may have wound up in the Arctic Code Vault.

The incident was reported to HHS in April 2021 by MedData as affecting 135,908 patients.  HHS’s note on the incident states:

MedData Incorporated, the business associate (BA), reported that an employee inadvertently published the protected health information (PHI) of 135,908 individuals via the Internet. The PHI involved included names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, diagnoses/conditions, lab results, medications prescribed, and claims and other treatment information. The BA notified HHS, affected individuals, the media, and posted substitute notice on its website. In response to the breach, the BA implemented additional administrative and technical safeguards to better protect PHI.

MedData is now part of ElevatePFS.

The settlement applies to M.S., et al. v. Med-Data Inc., Case No. 4:22-cv-00187, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.  Other litigation against Med-Data over the leak had been dismissed by a Kansas federal court who found plaintiffs had not established standing.

Details of the settlement can be found at MedDataSettlement.com.

Category: BlogCommentaries and AnalysesExposureHealth Data

Post navigation

← Russian Intelligence Targets Victims Worldwide in Rapid-Fire Cyberattacks
AHA seeks guidance on reporting breaches linked to Change cyberattack →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Rewards for Justice offers $10M reward for info on RedLine developer or RedLine’s use by foreign governments
  • New evidence links long-running hacking group to Indian government
  • Zaporizhzhia Cyber ​​Police Exposes Hacker Who Caused Millions in Losses to Victims by Mining Cryptocurrency
  • Germany fines Vodafone $51 million for privacy, security breaches
  • Google: Hackers target Salesforce accounts in data extortion attacks
  • The US Grid Attack Looming on the Horizon
  • US govt login portal could be one cyberattack away from collapse, say auditors
  • Two Men Sentenced to Prison for Aggravated Identity Theft and Computer Hacking Crimes
  • 100,000 UK taxpayer accounts hit in £47m phishing attack on HMRC
  • CISA Alert: Updated Guidance on Play Ransomware

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • How the FBI Sought a Warrant to Search Instagram of Columbia Student Protesters
  • Germany fines Vodafone $51 million for privacy, security breaches
  • Malaysia enacts data sharing rules for public sector
  • U.S. Enacts Take It Down Act
  • 23andMe Bankruptcy Judge Ponders Trump Bill’s Injunction Impact
  • Hell No: The ODNI Wants to Make it Easier for the Government to Buy Your Data Without Warrant
  • US State Dept. says silence or anonymity on social media is suspicious

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.