Kentucky-based healthcare provider Norton has confirmed that it has suffered a significant ransomware attack that may have put the data of millions of its patients at risk.
In a filing to the Maine Attorney General on December 8, the healthcare giant said that 2.5 million individuals had been affected by the breach.
Norton said that the attack took place between May 7 and May 9, 2023, stating that it took until mid-November to analyze the extent of the attack and the types of patient data that had been exfiltrated.
Norton Healthcare data breach
A letter sent on behalf of Norton Healthcare by Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Lawyer David Saunders confirms that the company informed the FBI and started to engage with outside legal counsel and a forensic security provider as soon as it became aware of the incident.
The summary continues: “Based on our investigation, an unauthorized individual(s) was able to access certain network storage devices between May 7, 2023, and May 9, 2023, but did not access Norton Healthcare’s medical record system or Norton MyChart.”
Norton confirmed that it did not pay a ransom to the attacker.
Avoiding specifics, Norton says that some or all of the following data may have been exposed: name, contact information, Social Security Number, date of birth, health information, insurance information, and medical identification numbers. Some driver’s license numbers or other government ID numbers, financial account numbers, and digital signatures may also have been exposed.
Norton has been informing current and former patients, employees, as well as employee dependents and beneficiaries of this incident.
No further suspicious activity has been detected, and the not-for-profit healthcare provider promises to be enhancing its security safeguards.
In the meantime, customers are being given access to 24 months of single bureau credit monitoring, unlimited fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration services with Kroll.
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