Health data of 600+ veterans in Minnesota taken in cyberattack, VA says
MINNEAPOLIS — Private health information of over 600 veterans in Minnesota was obtained in a nationwide cyberattack, according to the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System.
The agency says documents with information of 2,302 Veterans around the country were encrypted and potentially copied by a "malicious party."
The documents were managed by the contracted medical transcription company DBP, Inc. and contained some or all of the following information: full names, medical record information and social security numbers.
The VA says DBP shut down the server, disconnected it from the internet, purchased new hardware and created new security controls on the equipment in an effort to prevent future attacks. Federal officials are working with DBP to "ensure appropriate security measures are in place."
According to the VA, 616 veterans with the Minneapolis VA healthcare system were impacted. Veterans with VA healthcare systems in Boston, Connecticut, Togus, Baltimore and Amarillo were also impacted in the breach.
Veterans affected will receive a letter from the Veterans Health Administration detailing what information was at risk. Anyone with questions can call and leave a message at 1-844-838-5433.