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Medicare Data Breach: What & How It Happened?

Medicare Data Breach: What & How It Happened?

Twingate Team

Jun 14, 2024

In May 2023, a data breach involving software used by a government contractor exposed personal information. The breach was detected at the end of May, and notifications were sent to those potentially impacted. The compromised data included various types of personally identifiable information, though specific details were not disclosed.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to over 600,000 Medicare beneficiaries.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included names, social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, healthcare-related information, driver's license numbers, health insurance claims, medical history notes, and prescription information.

How was Medicare hacked?

Unauthorized access to the MOVEit Transfer software on Maximus Federal Services' corporate network led to the data breach. Hackers exploited a vulnerability in the software, obtaining copies of files saved in the application between May 27 and 31, 2023. The exact methods used by the hackers remain unclear.

Medicare's solution

In response to the hack, Medicare took several measures to address the situation and prevent future incidents. These actions included sending letters to potentially impacted individuals, offering free credit monitoring services for 24 months, providing information on obtaining a free credit report, and issuing new Medicare cards with new numbers for those whose Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number may have been impacted.

How do I know if I was affected?

Medicare has reached out to affected users regarding the breach. If you are a Medicare beneficiary and have not received a notification, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check if your credentials were affected.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  • Change Your Passwords: Immediately update your passwords for all affected accounts. Make sure the new passwords are strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  • Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  • Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on all affected accounts. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

  • Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report any unauthorized transactions or changes immediately.

For more specific help and instructions regarding Medicare's data breach, please contact Medicare's support directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Medicare data breach, check out the following news articles:

Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.

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Medicare Data Breach: What & How It Happened?

Medicare Data Breach: What & How It Happened?

Twingate Team

Jun 14, 2024

In May 2023, a data breach involving software used by a government contractor exposed personal information. The breach was detected at the end of May, and notifications were sent to those potentially impacted. The compromised data included various types of personally identifiable information, though specific details were not disclosed.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to over 600,000 Medicare beneficiaries.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included names, social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, healthcare-related information, driver's license numbers, health insurance claims, medical history notes, and prescription information.

How was Medicare hacked?

Unauthorized access to the MOVEit Transfer software on Maximus Federal Services' corporate network led to the data breach. Hackers exploited a vulnerability in the software, obtaining copies of files saved in the application between May 27 and 31, 2023. The exact methods used by the hackers remain unclear.

Medicare's solution

In response to the hack, Medicare took several measures to address the situation and prevent future incidents. These actions included sending letters to potentially impacted individuals, offering free credit monitoring services for 24 months, providing information on obtaining a free credit report, and issuing new Medicare cards with new numbers for those whose Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number may have been impacted.

How do I know if I was affected?

Medicare has reached out to affected users regarding the breach. If you are a Medicare beneficiary and have not received a notification, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check if your credentials were affected.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  • Change Your Passwords: Immediately update your passwords for all affected accounts. Make sure the new passwords are strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  • Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  • Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on all affected accounts. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

  • Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report any unauthorized transactions or changes immediately.

For more specific help and instructions regarding Medicare's data breach, please contact Medicare's support directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Medicare data breach, check out the following news articles:

Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.

Medicare Data Breach: What & How It Happened?

Twingate Team

Jun 14, 2024

In May 2023, a data breach involving software used by a government contractor exposed personal information. The breach was detected at the end of May, and notifications were sent to those potentially impacted. The compromised data included various types of personally identifiable information, though specific details were not disclosed.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to over 600,000 Medicare beneficiaries.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included names, social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, healthcare-related information, driver's license numbers, health insurance claims, medical history notes, and prescription information.

How was Medicare hacked?

Unauthorized access to the MOVEit Transfer software on Maximus Federal Services' corporate network led to the data breach. Hackers exploited a vulnerability in the software, obtaining copies of files saved in the application between May 27 and 31, 2023. The exact methods used by the hackers remain unclear.

Medicare's solution

In response to the hack, Medicare took several measures to address the situation and prevent future incidents. These actions included sending letters to potentially impacted individuals, offering free credit monitoring services for 24 months, providing information on obtaining a free credit report, and issuing new Medicare cards with new numbers for those whose Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number may have been impacted.

How do I know if I was affected?

Medicare has reached out to affected users regarding the breach. If you are a Medicare beneficiary and have not received a notification, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check if your credentials were affected.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  • Change Your Passwords: Immediately update your passwords for all affected accounts. Make sure the new passwords are strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  • Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  • Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on all affected accounts. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

  • Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report any unauthorized transactions or changes immediately.

For more specific help and instructions regarding Medicare's data breach, please contact Medicare's support directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Medicare data breach, check out the following news articles: