Reston, VA-based Maximus Inc., a government services contracting company, has announced in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that hackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Progress Software’s MOVEit Transfer solution in May 2023 and accessed the protected health information (PHI) of between 8 and 11 million individuals. The Clop ransomware group was responsible for the attack and Maximus was one of hundreds of entities to be affected by the Clop group’s mass exploitation of the zero-day vulnerability.

According to the filing, Maximus used MOVEit Transfer for internal and external file sharing, including for sharing data with government customers that participate in various government programs. After being notified about the vulnerability and data breach by Progress Software, Maximus launched a forensic investigation and review of the affected files and while that process is still ongoing, Maximus confirmed that the impacted files contained protected health information. Maximus said it cannot confirm precisely how many individuals have been affected until the review process is completed, and that it anticipates that the process will take several more weeks.

Maximus has notified the affected customers and will provide notice to all affected individuals when the review concludes. Affected individuals will be offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services for 24 months. Maximus has recorded expenses of $15 million for the quarter to June 30, 2023, in relation to the data breach.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has confirmed that the PHI of approximately 612,000 current Medicare recipients was exposed in this incident and up to 645,000 individuals in total. The CMS said it is working with Maximus to provide notice to the affected individuals. The CMS said the stolen data includes names, dates of birth, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, Social Security numbers/taxpayer identification numbers, Medicare beneficiary numbers, driver’s license numbers, state identification numbers, health insurance information, claims information, health benefits and enrollment information, and medical histories, which include notes, medical records/account numbers, conditions, diagnoses, images, treatment information, and dates of service.

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Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) has written to FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting the law enforcement agency prioritize the investigation of a major cyberattack on Tampa General Hospital (TGH) that involved the medical records of more than 1.2 million people and bring the perpetrators behind the cyberattack to justice.

The attack in question was discovered by TGH administrators on May 31, 2023, with the forensic investigation determining that hackers had access to its network for 18 days, having gained initial access to its network on May 12, 2023. The attackers attempted to encrypt files; however, TGH was able to prevent encryption but could not prevent the exposure of patient data. The compromised systems contained names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, medical record numbers, health insurance information, and more.

While the cyberattack is significant due to the amount of exposed data, it is far from the only such attack on a U.S. healthcare provider in recent years. Senator Scott cites a ransomware attack on Scripps Health in California in 2021 in which hackers stole 150,000 patient records, the attack on CommonSpirit Health in 2022 that affected many critical healthcare services across the United States, and the attack on St. Margaret’s Health in Illinois which disrupted the hospital’s billing systems and contributed to the permanent closure of the hospital. In addition to causing financial harm to healthcare providers and threatening patient safety, the data stolen in these attacks can be used for further criminal activity causing financial harm to patients.

If the threat actors behind these attacks are not identified, arrested, and prosecuted, they will continue to conduct attacks that threaten patient safety, cause considerable financial harm, and it is inevitable that other healthcare facilities will be forced to close. “I urge you to assign all necessary resources at your disposal to prioritize the investigation of this incident and ask that you keep my office apprised of your progress,” said Senator Scott.

Many of these attacks are conducted by threat groups operating out of China, Russia, and North Korea, which do not have extradition treaties with the United States and that makes it difficult to bring the perpetrators to justice. Senator Scott said these attacks pose a clear and present threat to critical health systems and has requested answers from Wray on the actions being taken to counter these threats, such as how the FBI is coordinating with health systems to prevent cyberattacks, what the FBI is doing to coordinate investigations of healthcare cyberattacks, whether the FBI believes that the majority of the threat actors behind these attacks are operating from outside the United States, and if so, the countries where these cyberattacks are originating.  Senator Scott also asked whether the FBI has sufficient resources to fully investigate these attacks and pursue the perpetrators and whether additional resources and authorities are needed.

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UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) has recently confirmed that the protected health information of 98,437 patients was stolen in a cyberattack on May 28, 2023. The Clop ransomware group exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Progress Software’s MOVEit file transfer solution, gained access to UTSW’s MOVEit server, and exfiltrated files that contained names, medical record numbers, dates of birth, medication names, medication dosages, prescribing provider names. A subset of the affected individuals also had their Social Security numbers stolen. UTSW was notified about the attack by Progress Software on May 30, 2023, and the exploited vulnerability was immediately patched.

The German cybersecurity firm KonBriefing has recently announced that its data shows at least 455 organizations were attacked in this campaign, and at least 23 million individuals were affected. The Clop group has recently started posting victim data on its clear web data leak site.

Family Vision of Anderson Suffers Ransomware Attack

Family Vision of Anderson in South Carolina was the victim of a May 2023 ransomware attack. A ransom note was detected on its computer system on May 28, 2023, indicating files had been encrypted. Computer systems were immediately taken offline to prevent further unauthorized access, and law enforcement was notified. The US Secret Service assisted with the investigation and determined ransomware was used to encrypt files on May 21.

The attackers may have obtained files containing the information of patients and their family members, including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, telephone numbers, email addresses, gender, medical record numbers, health insurance information, allergies and other medical history information, appointment dates, scheduled optometrist names, optometry prescriptions, and optometry eye scans. Security has been enhanced, and employees have been provided with further training. The breach was reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights as affecting up to 62,631 individuals. Notification letters have been sent and affected individuals have been offered complimentary identity theft protection services.

17,000 Individuals Affected by LifeWorks Wellness Center Hacking Incident

LifeWorks Wellness Center in Clearwater, FL, has recently reported a data breach to the Maine Attorney General that has affected 17,000 patients. Hackers gained access to its internal file system on or around May 20, 2023, and the forensic investigation confirmed that files containing patient data had been viewed, and may have been stolen. LifeWorks said the hackers did not gain access to its patient database, which includes medical and treatment records. The compromised servers included the information of current and former patients and employees such as names, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, health identification codes, and medical conditions and diagnoses. LifeWorks said it has implemented additional security measures to prevent similar breaches in the future.

UC Davis Health Reports Breach of Employee Email Account

On May 24, 2023, UC Davis Health in Sacramento, CA, confirmed that the email account of an employee had been accessed by an unauthorized individual. The employee used their work email account to coordinate follow-up care for patients and the account included limited protected health information. The forensic investigation confirmed that only one email account had been compromised, and the breach was detected quickly by its IT security systems; however, it is possible that sensitive data was copied. Affected individuals have been offered complimentary credit monitoring services for 12 months and the employee concerned has received additional training on email security. The incident has yet to appear on the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights Breach portal, so it is currently unclear how many individuals have been affected.

Paramedic Billing Services Confirms Hackers Had Access to Patient Data

Elmhurst, IL-based Paramedic Billing Services has recently announced that it fell victim to a cyberattack in late May 2023. Suspicious activity was identified in its computer network and systems were immediately secured to prevent further unauthorized access. On June 23, 2023, Paramedic Billing Services determined that an unauthorized third party had access to systems containing protected health information and may have copied certain files from its systems. Those files included names, contact information, dates of birth, medical information, health insurance information, Social Security numbers, driver’s license/state identification numbers, financial account information, and payment card information.

The file review is ongoing, so the total number of affected individuals has yet to be established. The incident has been reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights as involving at least 501 individuals. Notification letters will be sent to affected individuals when the review is completed. Paramedic Billing Services said its existing policies, processes, and procedures relating to data protection and security are being reviewed and will be enhanced.

Cardiac Monitoring Software Company Suffers Cyberattack

The Canadian cardiac monitoring software company, CardioComm Solutions Inc., has announced that it has suffered a cyberattack that has taken some of its IT systems out of operation. According to a statement released by the company, the attack has caused downtime to its services: Global Cardio 3, GEMS Flex 12, GEMS Home Flex (upload), and HeartCheck CardiBeat/GEMS Mobile ECG/RPM (record/upload). The disruption is expected to continue for several days, and potentially longer. Third-party cybersecurity experts have been engaged to investigate the attack and determine the extent to which sensitive data was involved. Customer data is not believed to have been involved, as CardioComm does not collect customer data, and its software runs on each customer’s server environment; however, employee data may have been compromised. Identity theft protection services will be offered to affected employees as a precaution.

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Rite Aid has confirmed that the protected health information of up to 24,400 of its customers has been stolen in a cyberattack. The stolen files contained names, birth dates, addresses, prescription information, and limited insurance information. Social Security numbers and financial information were not exposed or stolen in the attack. Rite Aid said a vulnerability was exploited by the attackers to gain access to sensitive data. Rite Aid was notified about the vulnerability by a third-party vendor and a patch has now been applied to correct the vulnerability.

The vulnerability was identified on May 31, 2023, with the forensic investigation confirming data theft occurred on May 26, 2023. While Rite Aid did not disclose the name of the vendor, the timing of the attack and the nature of unauthorized access suggest this was an attack by the Clop threat group which conducted mass attacks that exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Progress Software’s MOVEIT Transfer file transfer solution.

Wake Family Eye Care Suffers Ransomware Attack

Wake Family Eye Care in Cary, NC, recently fell victim to a ransomware attack. The attack was detected on June 2, 2023, when files were discovered to have been encrypted. Systems were immediately isolated to prevent further unauthorized access and the incident was contained the same day. A third-party forensics firm was engaged to investigate and determine the extent of the breach and while no evidence of data theft was found, it was not possible to rule out the possibility of data theft.

The review of files on the affected part of the network revealed they contained names, addresses, dates of birth, partial or full Social Security Numbers, driver’s license/passport/other government-issued ID numbers, insurance numbers, optical images, chart numbers, and related eye records. Financial information was not compromised.

Notification letters have been sent to the 14,264 individuals potentially affected by the incident.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark Investigating Cyberattack

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark has confirmed that unauthorized individuals gained access to some of its computer systems. The breach was detected on May 8, 2023, and third-party cybersecurity experts were engaged to investigate and determine the nature and scope of the breach. The investigation confirmed that hackers had access to systems where protected health information was stored between April 30, 2023, and May 8, 2023. Some of the files were acquired in the attack.

The stolen files included individuals’ names, dates of birth, driver’s license information, Social Security number, medical information, and health insurance information. The review of the files is ongoing to determine how many individuals have been affected and notification letters will be sent when that process has been completed. To meet the deadline for reporting data breaches, the HHS was notified that at least 501 individuals have likely been affected. The total will be updated when the investigation is completed.

Lancaster Orthopedic Group Notifies Patients About March Cyberattack

Lancaster Orthopedic Group in Manheim Township, PA, has discovered unauthorized access to its network. The breach was detected on March 29, 2023, with the review of the affected files confirming that names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, medical treatment information, and insurance information was potentially compromised. The breach has been reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights as affecting a minimum of 500 individuals, although up to 2,000 patients may have been affected.

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Tampa General Hospital has recently confirmed that hackers gained access to its network and stole files containing the protected health information of up to 1.2 million patients.  A security breach was detected on May 31, 2023, when suspicious activity was identified within its network. The affected systems were immediately taken offline to prevent further unauthorized access and a third-party digital forensics firm was engaged to investigate the incident and determine the nature and scope of the attack.

The investigation confirmed that unauthorized individuals had access to its network for three weeks between May 12, and May 30, 2023, during which time they exfiltrated files containing patient information. The information compromised in the incident varied from individual to individual and may have included names, phone numbers, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, medical record numbers, patient account numbers, dates of service, health insurance information, and limited treatment information. Tampa General Hospital confirmed that the hackers did not gain access to its electronic medical record system.

Tampa General Hospital said this was an attempted ransomware attack and while data theft occurred, its security systems prevented files from being encrypted. Additional technical security measures have now been implemented to harden its systems and prevent further data breaches and network monitoring has been enhanced to ensure that any future security breaches are detected rapidly.

Notification letters will be mailed to affected individuals when contact information has been verified.  Tampa General Hospital said affected individuals will be offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

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Detroit, MI-based Henry Ford Health has recently notified 168,000 patients that an unauthorized individual gained access to employee email accounts that contained some of their protected health information. A spokesperson for Henry Ford Health said the unauthorized access occurred on March 30, 2023, after employees responded to phishing emails. The attack was discovered quickly and the accounts were secured; however, access to patient data was possible. A review of the email accounts confirmed on May 16, 2023, that they contained the following patient information: name, date of birth, age, gender, telephone number, medical record number/ internal tracking number, lab results, procedure type, diagnosis, and date(s) of service. Henry Ford Health is implementing additional security measures to protect against future email account breaches and additional training has been provided to employees.

IMX Medical Management Services Announces 2022 Malware Incident

The Malvern, PA-based medical consulting company, IMX Medical Management Services, has recently confirmed that malware was found on a laptop computer that potentially allowed unauthorized individuals to access the protected health information of 7,594 individuals. According to the notification letters, the malware was detected on September 1, 2022, and the forensic investigation revealed the malware had been present since as early as June 2022. Additional malware indicators were also found on its network in October 2022.

IMX said the malware has been removed and no further indicators of malware have been detected since October 2022. The delay in issuing notifications was due to the “extensive and complex analysis of the affected data.” IMX said the malware provided access to the bodies of email messages but attachments were not exfiltrated. The compromised information included names or other personal identifiers along with driver’s license numbers and other ID cards. Identity theft protection services have been offered to affected individuals.

Storage Unit Purchased at Auction Contained Dozens of Boxes of Patient Files

A storage unit was recently sold at auction that contained more than 200 boxes of patient files. The unit went up for sale when the unit rental payments stopped. The purchaser submitted a blind bid for the unit and discovered the boxes of patient files after purchasing the unit. The records related to patients of East Houston Medicine and Pediatric Center who received treatment between 2009 to 2019. The files included information such as names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license images, medical histories, and insurance information. The purchaser is currently trying to arrange for the files to be collected.

PHI Exposed in Charles George VA Medical Center Mismailing Incident

Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, NC, has confirmed that the personal information of 1,541 veterans has been exposed in an email mismailing incident. The data exposure was detected on May 12, 2023, and immediate steps were taken to delete the emails that had not been opened; however, the messages were opened by three veterans. The emails included an attachment that contained limited protected health information. Affected individuals have been offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

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