An acute care hospital serving the San Fernando Valley in California confirmed they were part of a cyberattack earlier this year.
What happened
Mission Community Hospital, a hospital providing short-term care for patients, recently notified patients that some protected health information was exposed in a cyberattack. The hospital also filed a data breach notice with the Attorney General of California.
According to MCH, the hospital discovered an unauthorized third party accessed their network on May 1. Individuals' stolen information may include names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, financial account information, and driver's license numbers.
The data also included protected health information, including health insurance plan information, claims information, and clinical information related to the patient’s treatment and care.
What they’re doing
Mission Community Hospital sent letters to affected individuals in response to the data breach. The letters contained limited information, simply stating certain patient’s information may have been subject to “unauthorized access.”
Affected patients are being offered credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. MCH also said they will implement additional safety measures to prevent future data breaches. They have not yet released information on the number of affected individuals.
Going deeper
The breach may have been carried out by RansomHouse, a ransomware group that claimed responsibility for the attack and added MCH to its data leak site. The organization claimed to have over 2.5 TB of data, some of which was downloadable. Only screenshots of the data are currently available online, making the current status of the data unclear.
RansomHouse, which likely launched in December 2021, was also believed to be responsible for another attack on a different hospital earlier this year.
The extortion organization claims to not use ransomware; instead, it focuses on finding network vulnerabilities to steal data. On their website, the attackers blame their targets for poor security. This reminds companies to prioritize network and process security.
The bottom line
While RansomHouse is still a relatively small operation with only a few victims, its strategy showcases the evolution of cyberattacks. Malicious actors use a variety of methods to access data–from phishing to encryption, exploiting vulnerabilities, and more. The best way to prevent a cyber threat is to ensure employees are highly trained and your organization as secure.
Related: New analysis shows common causes of data breaches in 2023.
Related: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide.
Abby Grifno
