Cyber Attack Affects 4.5M Patients
By Travis Kellar, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
According to a report the company filed Monday with the
CHS and its forensic expert,
Based in
CHS has 20 affiliated hospitals across
According to a statement CHS released late Monday afternoon, the attack does not involve
"Limited personal identification data belonging to some patients who were seen at the Berwick Medical Professionals practices,
Breached data
The transferred information did not include any medical information or credit card information, but it did include names, addresses, birthdates, telephone numbers and
Patients who have been affected will receive a letter from their physician's office. A toll-free number (1-855-205-6951) has been set up to answer patients' questions.
"We take very seriously the security and confidentiality of private patient information and we sincerely regret any concern or inconvenience this event may cause our patients. Though we have no reason to believe that this data would ever be used, all affected patients are being notified by letter and offered free identity theft protection," CHS said.
CHS officials believe the intruder was a foreign-based group out of
"The intruder used highly sophisticated methods to bypass security systems. The intruder has been eradicated and applications have been deployed to protect against future attacks. We are working with federal law enforcement authorities in their investigation and will support prosecution of those responsible for this attack," CHS said.
The breached data is considered protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) because it includes patient names, addresses, birth dates, telephone numbers and social security numbers, CHS said.
CHS carries liability insurance to protect it against losses from cyber attacks, and company officials do not believe that the attack will have a negative affect on business or financial results.
Times Leader staff writer
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