End of June 2016 Cyber Security Summary

July 7, 2016

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End of June 2016 Cyber Security Summary

We all know how big of a concern cyber security is, especially in the healthcare industry. Staying informed is one of the best methods of protection. We want staying informed to be easy, so we have broken down everything you need to know about cyber security with our monthly update.

What Has Happened Since the Beginning of the Year?

Since the beginning of 2016, there have been 507 data breaches throughout all industries consisting of over 4,000,000 records compromised. The healthcare industry which has had 117 total data breaches accounts for around 33% of the data compromised.

 

What happened in June 2016?

In June 2016 there were 15 healthcare data breaches and 256,000 healthcare records compromised. Here is a breakdown of how that happened:

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Security Breach at Electronic Medical Record Vendor in California

This vendor fell victim to a huge data breach this past March. The exact number of records that were compromised is still unknown, however according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the number is estimated to be around 177,000 records in at least 17 healthcare locations. The vendor, which supplies to over 15,000 healthcare providers has not disclosed exactly how many of its clients have been affected, however multiple healthcare facilities still reporting data breaches, including multiple that were reported in June. The ransomware, which was found to be linked to a command center in Russia, is still unknown, although experts say that it is new and still in its early stages.

The Most Recent Breach

The most recently reported cyberattack, which occurred at a hospital in Massachusetts, exposed the social security numbers and birth dates of over 4,300 patients. The information compromised was stored in a third party vendor’s software, Patterson Dental Supply, which manages their patient’s dental information. Although the data breach occurred in February, patients were not notified until June 29th when the investigation was complete.

1 year 1 hospital 2 breaches

 A healthcare system in South Carolina recently reported its second data breach this year due to a break-in. During the first break-in, the thieves were unable to obtain any medical records, however during the second break-in, intruders gained access to a file cabinet that contained medical records. Information such as names, social security numbers, dates of birth and medical history were possibly obtained.

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