319,177 Americans Affected As Healthcare Firm Hacked – Names, Addresses, Social Security Numbers, Health Records and More Potentially Exposed

The personal identifying information of hundreds of thousands of Americans is at risk after a healthcare firm suffered a major cyberattack.

According to new data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, the Florida-based healthcare company VITAS Hospice Services has been hacked, potentially exposing the health records and personal data of 319,177 Americans.

The law firm Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP says an unauthorized individual breached the accounts of VITAS’s vendors between September 21st and October 27th. However, VITAS did not inform the victims of the hack until November 26th.

Though no funds have been reported stolen, the names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and medical information, such as medications, lab results, treatment information and diagnoses, could all potentially be compromised as the unauthorized individual had full access to them during the breached period.

In a statement, VITAS says it has taken steps to bolster its cybersecurity protocols and has informed the authorities.

“We take this matter very seriously and have taken additional steps to reduce the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future.

We are working with a leading cybersecurity firm to assist with our investigation and analysis, and we are reviewing and strengthening our vendor oversight and data protection protocols. We also notified law enforcement of this incident.

Our notification to you has not been delayed due to a law enforcement investigation. As of the date of this letter, we are unaware of any misuse of your personal information as a result of this incident. Nevertheless, as a precaution to help you protect your identity, we have arranged for complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services for 24 months.”