Agency for Community Treatment Services, Inc. (ACTS) in Tampa, FL is notifying a number of patients regarding the potential compromise of their protected health information (PHI) because of a cyberattack in October 21, 2020.
The security breach was uncovered on October 23 when deployment of the ransomware (|occurred}. The hackers obtained access to sections of the ACTS server and data system and performed file encryption to avert access. Systems had to be taken down to avert unauthorized access. To know the extent of the breach, third-party computer forensic professionals looked into the occurrence.
Even though it’s likely that there was unauthorized data access, the investigators didn’t get any particular information to suggest the access or exfiltration of patient information. ACTS stated that this was a result of the attackers making substantial efforts to cover up their malicious actions. The attackers could thus have viewed or taken data kept on the breached systems.
The evaluation of the breached systems showed that they comprised patient names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and health files with information like diagnoses, treatment details, and health insurance information connected to the services given to patients from 2000 and 2013.
ACTS could recover the encrypted data from backup copies and didn’t pay the ransom demand. It took action after the breach to fortify security and avert more attacks. Considering that patient information might have been exposed, ACTS is offering all affected people free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.
Proliance Surgeons Reports Company Website Breach
The company website of Proliance Surgeons based in Seattle, WA encountered a breach causing the likely theft of payment card data. The practice mentioned in a December 23, 2020 breach notice that attackers got access to the webpage between November 13, 2019 and June 24, 2020. In that period, the attackers likely accessed and acquired cardholder names, card numbers, zip codes and expiration dates. No other PHI was compromised. The breach just impacted persons who paid for services on the web, not persons who paid personally or over the telephone.
The cause of the breach has been identified and addressed and a new website with a different payment platform has been implemented, which has superior security protections. Proliance has coordinated with the major payment card providers to prevent unauthorized charges on the affected cards. Individuals affected by the breach have been advised to check their statements carefully and to report any unauthorized charges to their card provider.
Conti Ransomware at Leon Medical Centers Attacked
Leon Medical Centers, a group of 8 medical facilities in Hialeah And Miami in Florida, suffered a Conti ransomware attack. The attackers stole the PHI of patients prior to ransomware deployment and given a ransom demand with a warning to expose the stolen data of patients.
The attackers said the stolen data included patient names, addresses, diagnoses, treatment details, medical insurance data, patient photos and Social Security numbers. They claim to have gotten the PHI of about 1 million patients, even though Leon Medical Centers refuted that claim and explained the number of stolen information was highly overstated.
The attack took place before December 22, 2020 and Leon Medical Centers is still checking out the incident. At this point, it is uncertain specifically what information was taken and how many patients were affected.
