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What happened in the Emory Healthcare data breach?

What happened in the Emory Healthcare data breach?

Twingate Team

May 23, 2024

In April 2012, Emory Healthcare experienced a data breach when 10 backup discs went missing from a storage location at Emory University Hospital. The breach involved sensitive patient information from surgical procedures conducted between September 1990 and April 2007.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to approximately 315,000 individuals.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included sensitive patient information such as names, dates of birth, social security numbers, medical record numbers, and details of surgical procedures conducted.

How was Emory Healthcare hacked?

A former Emory Healthcare employee inappropriately accessed and shared demographic information of over 1,600 patients with outsiders involved in unemployment benefits fraud. The breach, which occurred between December 2020 and December 2021, exposed sensitive data such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. Emory Healthcare has since cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of the individuals involved in the matter.

Emory Healthcare's solution

In response to the data breach, Emory Healthcare took several measures to secure sensitive patient information and prevent future hacking incidents. These actions included fully cooperating with law enforcement during the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of individuals involved in the matter, and following the instructions of the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the timing of notifications to affected patients. Emory Healthcare launched an institution-wide initiative to reinforce and clarify existing policies and procedures for safeguarding the security and privacy of sensitive information. They also provided affected patients with access to identity protection services, including credit monitoring, through a specialized company.

How do I know if I was affected?

Emory Healthcare has not publicly disclosed whether they reached out to affected users. However, if you believe you may have been affected by the breach, you can visit Have I Been Pwned to check if your credentials were compromised.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  1. Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  2. 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.

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

  4. Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report it immediately to the respective platform or financial institution.

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

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Emory Healthcare 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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What happened in the Emory Healthcare data breach?

What happened in the Emory Healthcare data breach?

Twingate Team

May 23, 2024

In April 2012, Emory Healthcare experienced a data breach when 10 backup discs went missing from a storage location at Emory University Hospital. The breach involved sensitive patient information from surgical procedures conducted between September 1990 and April 2007.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to approximately 315,000 individuals.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included sensitive patient information such as names, dates of birth, social security numbers, medical record numbers, and details of surgical procedures conducted.

How was Emory Healthcare hacked?

A former Emory Healthcare employee inappropriately accessed and shared demographic information of over 1,600 patients with outsiders involved in unemployment benefits fraud. The breach, which occurred between December 2020 and December 2021, exposed sensitive data such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. Emory Healthcare has since cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of the individuals involved in the matter.

Emory Healthcare's solution

In response to the data breach, Emory Healthcare took several measures to secure sensitive patient information and prevent future hacking incidents. These actions included fully cooperating with law enforcement during the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of individuals involved in the matter, and following the instructions of the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the timing of notifications to affected patients. Emory Healthcare launched an institution-wide initiative to reinforce and clarify existing policies and procedures for safeguarding the security and privacy of sensitive information. They also provided affected patients with access to identity protection services, including credit monitoring, through a specialized company.

How do I know if I was affected?

Emory Healthcare has not publicly disclosed whether they reached out to affected users. However, if you believe you may have been affected by the breach, you can visit Have I Been Pwned to check if your credentials were compromised.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  1. Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  2. 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.

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

  4. Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report it immediately to the respective platform or financial institution.

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

Where can I go to learn more?

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

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

What happened in the Emory Healthcare data breach?

Twingate Team

May 23, 2024

In April 2012, Emory Healthcare experienced a data breach when 10 backup discs went missing from a storage location at Emory University Hospital. The breach involved sensitive patient information from surgical procedures conducted between September 1990 and April 2007.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to approximately 315,000 individuals.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included sensitive patient information such as names, dates of birth, social security numbers, medical record numbers, and details of surgical procedures conducted.

How was Emory Healthcare hacked?

A former Emory Healthcare employee inappropriately accessed and shared demographic information of over 1,600 patients with outsiders involved in unemployment benefits fraud. The breach, which occurred between December 2020 and December 2021, exposed sensitive data such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. Emory Healthcare has since cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of the individuals involved in the matter.

Emory Healthcare's solution

In response to the data breach, Emory Healthcare took several measures to secure sensitive patient information and prevent future hacking incidents. These actions included fully cooperating with law enforcement during the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of individuals involved in the matter, and following the instructions of the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the timing of notifications to affected patients. Emory Healthcare launched an institution-wide initiative to reinforce and clarify existing policies and procedures for safeguarding the security and privacy of sensitive information. They also provided affected patients with access to identity protection services, including credit monitoring, through a specialized company.

How do I know if I was affected?

Emory Healthcare has not publicly disclosed whether they reached out to affected users. However, if you believe you may have been affected by the breach, you can visit Have I Been Pwned to check if your credentials were compromised.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  1. Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  2. 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.

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

  4. Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report it immediately to the respective platform or financial institution.

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

Where can I go to learn more?

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