Laura Pennington  |  March 17, 2020

Category: Legal News

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A hospital hit with ransomware may lose patients' information. Two Indiana-based facilities are facing data breach issues as a result of the hospital hit with ransomware. Hospitals have become a target for ransomware attacks and data breaches because of the high volume of personal and health-related data stored in their systems.

Patients at Methodist Hospitals have now been warned about the possibility that their information was accessed.  The hospital hit with ransomware may include facilities in Merrillville and Gary.

Questionable email activity was found in one employee’s account that dates back to the summer of 2019. The scheme in question was a common one that ends with a hospital hit with ransomware; phishing attacks are very common when it comes to trying to get people to share personal information or click on links.

What Is a Phishing Attack?

These schemes are set up to look like a legitimate request for information. In most cases, these are sent to multiple employees in an effort to capture at least one person who falls for the attack.

According to the hospital, an investigation revealed that one employee’s account was subject to a data breach first on June 12 and then again from July 1 to July 8. Another employee’s account was breached on March 13 and June 12, 2019.

The hospital says that there is no evidence at this time that a data breach allowed for anyone’s personal details to be taken. They say they are sharing the news with patients because the risk is still there.

What Patient Information May Have Been Compromised?

Some of the information that may have been compromised if the email addresses were used for personal information includes usernames and passwords, dates of birth, passport and State ID numbers, health insurance numbers, addresses, names, financial account details, and medical records.

The hospital says that after they discovered this breach they began working with third-party investigators to learn more about the depth of the problem and to look for new ways to enhance their security measures.

Most patients have multiple doctor’s offices that hold personal information about them; the rise in hospital ransomware attacks means that more people are likely to be affected by future data breaches.

One recent article detailed 15 of the most prominent data breaches affecting hospitals in 2019. Many more have been struggling to figure out the right security protocols given the push to move to electronic health records.

The attacks also cause more short-term issues when the hospital has to figure out where the attack started and how deep it goes: some have had to cancel procedures and turn patients away in the wake of an unexpected attack.

The U.S. government is taking some action by paying attention to the possible reach of past ransomware attacks and supporting efforts to help government agencies and businesses prevent attacks. The hackers perpetrating these events are becoming more sophisticated and some have been able to carry out coordinated attacks against multiple entities at once, catching all of them by surprise.

If your information was leaked in a data breach like this, you should contact an experienced lawyer to help you.

Join a Free Hospital Ransomware Attack Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were a patient at a hospital or healthcare facility affected by a ransomware attack that impacted your medical care, you may qualify to join a hospital ransomware attack class action lawsuit investigation.

Learn More

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.

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2 thoughts onMethodist Hospitals Phishing Attack Puts Patient Data at Risk

  1. LISA HAWKINS says:

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  2. Joe Ezell says:

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