PurFoods , known as “ Mom's Meals ” in the US, has reported a data breach caused by a ransomware attack affecting approximately 1.2 million customers and employees .
Mom's Meals is a medical meal delivery service for self-pay clients or for individuals who qualify for government assistance through the Medicaid and Older Americans Act programs
The company reported that suspicious activity was detected on networks on February 22, 2023, when files on its systems were encrypted by ransomware.
An investigation was launched immediately with the help of third‑party experts to examine the incident.
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“The investigation found that we experienced a cyberattack between January 16, 2023 and February 22, 2023, which included the encryption of certain files on our network.“.
The network problems became apparent in early March 2023.
It appears that the company was breached on January 16, 2023, and tools commonly used to illegally obtain data.
A more extensive investigation was completed on July 10, 2023 and confirmed that there was a security breach with hackers the following data:
- Identity number
- Date of birth
- Driving license
- Bank account information
- Payment card details
- Medical file number
- Medicare and Medicaid identification
- Health information
- Treatment information
- Diagnosis code
- Health insurance information
- Patient ID number
- Social Security Number (for >1% of affected individuals)
- Meal category and cost
The data breach affects individuals who have received Mom’s Meals meal packages, as well as current and former employees and independent contractors.
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According to the data breach notification filed by PurFoods with the Maine Attorney General's Office, the incident affected 1,237,681 people .
These people will receive free credit monitoring services and identity protection services for 12 months, from Kroll.
Stolen data is highly sensitive and can facilitate sophisticated fraud. Therefore, Mom's Meals customers should remain extremely cautious with all emails, messages, SMS or calls they receive.
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Data breaches are one of the most critical risks in the digital world, and the Mom's Meals case is living proof. The ransomware attack and subsequent data breach that affected an estimated 1.2 million customers and employees highlights the dire need for strong cybersecurity and privacy protection. It is vital that companies upgrade their security systems, train staff to detect and prevent cyberattacks, and proactively inform customers of any risks and precautions.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
