The city of Philadelphia revealed that a breach in 2023 affected more than 35,000 personal and protected information .
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The investigation found that the attackers gained access to multiple email accounts between May 26, 2023, and July 28, 2023.When it disclosed the data breach in October, the city also disclosed the types of information exposed about the affected individuals, which include a combination of:
- demographic information, such as name, address, date of birth,
- social security numbers and other contact information;
- medical information, such as diagnosis and other information related to treatment;
- limited financial information, such as claims information.
Philadelphia says the data breach affected 35,881 people in a filing with the Maine Attorney General's Office. Affected individuals whose personal data was exposed in the breach were notified on Monday, July 8. The city is also mailing data breach notifications to those whose protected health information was exposed in the breach.
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" With ample caution, we conducted a thorough and in-depth review to determine what information was potentially accessible and to whom that information pertained ," the breach notification letters sent to affected individuals state
The city of Philadelphia has notified federal law enforcement of the breach, is improving safeguards and training for its employees, and is offering those affected free services for 12 months.
They will also receive guidance on how to better protect themselves from identity theft and fraud, including advice on reporting any suspicious incidents to their bank, credit card company or other relevant institution. City officials have yet to explain how the attackers breached the city's email accounts and why they delayed disclosure for five months.
The city's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS) also disclosed a HIPAA breach four years ago, in June 2020, after the personal health information of people it served was compromised in a phishing.
A breach notification posted on the organization's website at the time revealed that attackers accessed the hacked email accounts of DBHIDS and Community Behavioral Health between March 31 and November 15, 2020.
See also: Neiman Marcus: Data breach exposes 31 million email addresses
A data breach occurs when sensitive, confidential, or proprietary information is accessed, disclosed, or shared without authorization, as in the case of the City of Philadelphia. These incidents can lead to serious consequences, including financial loss, identity theft, and damage to an organization’s reputation. Common causes of data breaches include cyberattacks ,such as phishing or malware, employee negligence, and system security vulnerabilities. Organizations must implement strict security measures and educate employees on best practices to protect themselves from data breaches and safeguard valuable information assets.
Source: bleepingcomputer
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