Tuesday, March 18, 2014

More than 10,000 Electronic Health Records at Risk in Data Breach

Service Coordination notified nearly 14,000 Maryland residents this month that their personal medical information may have been compromised. Service Coordination is a state-licensed nonprofit organization based in Frederick, Maryland, that works with Maryland residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Service Coordination is one of five organizations licensed to provide services by Maryland's Developmental Disabilities Administration. To date there have been no reports of breaches from the other four licensed organizations. 

The organization learned of the security breach in October of 2013, but delayed notifying affected individuals at the request of the U.S. Justice Department. The Justice Department requested the delay to allow time for an unhindered federal investigation. The investigation resulted in the identification of the alleged hacker and the seizure of the hacker's equipment and accounts. 

To date there is no evidence that the data has been released or used for nefarious purposes. Service Coordination spokesman, Michael Baisey, explained that the breach involved a single document that contained personal information for nearly 70% of the group's 13,900 clients. Service Coordination will assist clients and families with credit report checks and identity theft protection. 


No comments:

Post a Comment