Quest Diagnostics has informed the SEC a couple of ransomware assault in August that hit ReproSource, a fertility clinic owned by the corporate.
The ransomware assault led to an information breach, exposing a major quantity of well being and monetary info for about 350,000 ReproSource sufferers.
In a press release to ZDNet, Quest mentioned ReproSource offered discover that it skilled an information safety incident wherein an unauthorized get together could have accessed or acquired the protected well being info and personally identifiable info of some sufferers.
“On August 8, 2021, an unauthorized get together accessed the ReproSource community. ReproSource found ransomware on the morning of August 10, and in lower than an hour severed all community connection exercise and contained the incident,” an organization spokesperson defined.
“ReproSource instantly launched a complete investigation to find out the trigger and scope of the incident. ReproSource retained main cybersecurity specialists to help with our investigation, confirmed containment of the ransomware, and shortly and securely recovered operations. Moreover, ReproSource promptly notified regulation enforcement.”
Quest added that ReproSource started sending out breach notification letters to victims on September 24.
The letters inform victims that the private info leaked in the course of the ransomware assault consists of names, addresses, cellphone numbers, e mail addresses, dates of delivery and billing info.
A trove of well being info was additionally leaked in the course of the assault, together with CPT codes, analysis codes, take a look at requisitions and outcomes, take a look at reviews and/or medical historical past info, medical insurance or group plan identification names and numbers and different info offered by people or by treating physicians.
The corporate admitted that an undisclosed variety of individuals additionally had driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, Social Safety numbers, monetary account numbers, and/or bank card numbers leaked within the assault.
Information of the breach got here to gentle after a regulatory submitting by Quest, which mentioned the bigger firm was not affected by the incident at ReproSource however confirmed that it was a ransomware assault. Quest famous that it has cybersecurity insurance coverage and doesn’t imagine it can have a extreme impact on the corporate’s funds as other ransomware attacks have.
ReproSource is offering victims with free credit score and id monitoring providers from Kroll however didn’t say how lengthy these providers would final.
ReproSource is the second fertility clinic this yr to ship out breach notifications after a ransomware assault.
Georgia-based Reproductive Biology Associates, and its affiliate My Egg Financial institution North America, notified about 38,000 patients that their medical info and different knowledge like social safety numbers had been accessed by cybercriminals throughout a ransomware assault in April.
Healthcare amenities proceed to face the brunt of ransomware assaults the world over, particularly due to the delicate knowledge they’re compelled to gather on sufferers, staff and guests.
A whole bunch have been attacked this yr and the issue has proven no indicators of slowing down.
“Like with different vital infrastructure, healthcare programs face distinctive vulnerability from ransomware assaults as a result of the uncovered knowledge impacts not solely sufferers’ privateness, but in addition their selections about medical therapy. Fertility remedies are an ideal instance of this, as they’ll require as much as tens of hundreds of {dollars} in investments from potential mother and father, making this sector an ideal goal for dangerous actors searching for a revenue,” mentioned Tim Eades, CEO at cybersecurity firm vArmour.
“It is a actuality that ransomware will proceed to focus on fertility clinics and different well being programs for his or her invaluable knowledge.”
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