Patients' personal information possibly exposed in data breach at UChicago Medicine
CHICAGO (CBS) — The personal information of hundreds, if not thousands, of patients was potentially exposed following a data breach at UChicago Medicine earlier this year.
UChicago says the breach happened between Jan. 4 and Jan. 30 when a hacker accessed worker email accounts.
The hack potentially exposed social security numbers, personal tax information, and even banking account numbers of some 10,000 patients and their family members.
The medical center then secured those email accounts and hired a cybersecurity firm to help with the investigation.
The phishing incident is one of a series of cyberattacks on healthcare institutions in Chicago and across the country.
A security breach at Ascension disrupted its computer system and prevented prescriptions from being filled, leading to an increase in business for nearby pharmacies. The hospital says no patient information was compromised. They were able to restore some access to online health records Wednesday night.
A cyberattack disrupted Lurie Children's Hospital's entire network, including the phone and internet services at the Streeterville location. The hospital had to establish a dedicated call center to address the needs of patient families and community providers.
St. Anthony Hospital on Chicago's West Side was also targeted when hackers accessed the hospital's computer network in December. The hospital said that some patient files were copied but investigated the attack with the help of law enforcement and cybersecurity specialists.
UChicago says it has since secured its workers' email accounts and is working to notify people who may have been affected.
The investigation into what led to the breach remains ongoing.