Fort Myers-based 21st Century Oncology has been contacting 2.2 million patients to let them know that their personal information stored in the database has been violated and accessed by an unauthorized third party that broke into the database on October 3.
The following information was the one affected by the hacker: patient names, Social Security numbers, physician names, diagnosis and treatment data and insurance information, according to the company. 21st Century Oncology mentioned that only the medical records were untouched.
The FBI notified the cancer-care giant, which operates 145 centers in 17 states, about the breach on Nov. 13.
The company began notifying the patients on Friday according to federal regulators.
The company said that most of the federal investigators told them to stop notifying the patients about the incident because the scandal could affect their investigation. The FBI and the Department of Justice remained quiet during the case on Wednesday.
This whole chaos involved patients in all 50 states and other countries as well according to the company. The company representatives would not notify if any patient’s identity has been theft as a result. Its earlier letter stated that it had no evidence that that had happened. As a way to apologize the company has offered the patients a free one-year membership for a credit protection program.
“We also recommend that patients regularly review the explanation of benefits that they receive from their health insurer,” the letter to patients states. “If they see services that they did not receive, please contact the insurer immediately.”
The Florida Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, both of which require reporting of certain large data breaches, would not comment on the case. Both cited the ongoing investigation into the matter.
An Attorney General’s Office representative did confirm that the office had been notified but would not say when.
The company itself is now working in alliance with FBI on the investigation of the intrusion to the system, they also mentioned that they are enhancing their existing security measures and protocols to bring a better protection of the database and not let this problem happen again in the near future.
Source: News-Press
I clicked on the website that had /redeem at end, and got skull faces with a weird company name. Wrote to 21st Century and was told they would pass it on and get back to me, after receiving letter my info was hacked, and FBI told them to delay into telling it’s customers. Does that sound like the FBI or what? Told I could get one year membership by Experian for free if I signed up. Why wouldn’t I be given this automatically? Something very wrong here. Four weeks earlier a Century Link man came to my door and I had signed up for their internet. They asked for my SS and email address using the salesman’s phone. He had a thick order pad with their logo printed on top. He gave me an appointment date and they emailed me just before the installer was to show. Never showed. I looked up IP address, and it was South America, and had connections to relay addresses. Started calling phone numbers on my copy of work order and all were disconnected. They emailed again a week later. I ignored it, and keep a loaded one next to me in the house. Three weeks later a Century Link truck pulled on the property and I chased him off. Then I get the letter from 21st Century Oncology saying FBI said they were hacked, but not to tell me till last week. Closed my bank account and changed my passwords, and reconfigured all my computer devices. Today is March 19, 2016 and am waiting for someone to come through my door unannounced. Hillary wants your guns, and your vote for her. I used to think she was just an innocent bystander. Now I read she armed the terrorists that committed genocide, and has/is spewing lies all over the place.
I never needed a cop, and am being socially prudent by being informative to the general unsuspecting public. I am now doing a double take on Bernie’s kids who want free stuff, and am listening very carefully on what they are complaining about. I protest against wars so people wouldn’t die, and took my anger out in the voting booth. I see that Bernie’s kids are protesting to get more free stuff. Hackers come in many shapes and types.