Another day brings another alarming data breach in the healthcare sector and this time, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center together with its El Paso division has been revealed that it was targeted by a cyberattack in September.
The attack wreaked havoc on computer systems and applications potentially compromising the sensitive information of 1.4 million patients. This consists of full names, birth dates, social security numbers, physical addresses, driver’s license details, financial account data, government ID numbers, health insurance specifics, billing or claims information, medical records and diagnosis and treatment histories. These details have been detailed in a breach notice from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
A month after the breach, the Interlock ransomware group took responsibility for the incident, claiming to have leaked a staggering 2.6 TB of data purportedly stolen from the health centre to their extortion portal which is there on the dark web from where the users can download it.
Interlock is a relatively new player in the landscape of ransomware famous for its unique encryptor that targets FreeBSD servers in addition to a Windows variant. Ransom demands from Interlock typically range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars depending on the size of the organization, as has been reported by Bleeping Computer.
Patients who are also affected by this breach can expect to be contacted by the university’s health and sciences centre which will offer them complimentary credit monitoring services. Those whose data has been compromised are also encouraged to reach out to the dedicated assistance line at 1-866-902-1996.
To protect themselves from phishing attempts, users need to be clear of clicking on new emails or messages from unfamiliar senders along with familiarizing themselves with the policies of the company and verifying email addresses of the senders. They also need to ensure that all devices like mobile phones are protected against malware and other threats.
Tech Journalist
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