Data breaches at community health systems are on the rise, experts say, and these will become more common in the coming years as more patient data goes digital.
Community Health Systems, a large health care group that has 206 hospitals in 29 states, said Monday that a cyberattack originating in China resulted in the theft of Social Security numbers and other personal data belonging to 4.5 million patients.
The data breach at CHS was the result of a sophisticated cyberattack that used sophisticated malware to exploit a vulnerability in the company’s network. The attackers were able to gain access to sensitive information, including names, Social Security numbers, addresses, birthdates, and telephone numbers.
CHS has stated that no medical or financial information was compromised in the breach. However, the personal information that was exposed could be used for identity theft and other fraud.
CHS is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to those affected by the data breach. The company is also working with law enforcement to investigate the incident and track down the hackers.
If you are a patient, employee, or contractor of Community Health Systems, it is important to stay informed about the data breach and take steps to protect yourself from identity theft and fraud.
Read more on VentureBeat.com: http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/18/chinese-hackers-pull-largest-healthcare-cyber-attack-on-record/
