Hospital Hacking Threatens Data of 62,000 Workers
UPMC employee Social Security numbers, addresses, salaries and bank account information may have been exposed.
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) informed all of its employees on Friday that their Social Security numbers, addresses, salaries and bank account information may have been exposed in a data breach.
Initially, only a few dozen workers were considered affected by the breach, which was acknowledged by the company in February. Since then, the scope of the breach has expanded to several hundred, then 27,000 in April and now 62,000 people, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. UPMC officials say no patient records were involved.
UMPC officials said in an email that they are not aware of any other victims besides 817 confirmed cases, but they are urging all employees to take precautions to protect their personal information. The medical center has notified employees by phone and letter, and has alerted major banks. It has also set up a hotline and is planning a webinar to educate workers about identity theft.
Local police, the FBI, the Secret Service, IRS and U.S. attorney’s officer are all investigating the matter.
UMPC is also facing a class action lawsuit by employees who had their tax returns stolen and bogus bank accounts opened in their names. They are claiming the medical center should have done more to protect their data.
Image via Wikimedia
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