As a result of the widespread breach of online security, we often visualize our compromised data as sensitive financial information, including passwords, names, and addresses; however, there is a lesser-considered consequence: the public exposure of our private medical records.
A French hospital has suffered a significant breach, with hackers gaining unauthorized access to the sensitive medical records of more than 750,000 patients, exposing a vast trove of confidential information.
A self-proclaimed hacker known as “nears” allegedly breached the security protocols of multiple healthcare organizations across the country, asserting that they gained unauthorized access to the sensitive data of more than 1.5 million individuals.
Following a series of unfortunate events, unauthorized access to Mediboard, a digital patient record system used by numerous European hospitals, became possible, setting the stage for a safety breach tied to “nears”.
Softway Medical Group, the developer of Mediboard, has confirmed that a malicious hacker gained access to a Mediboard account through the theft of login credentials used by an unnamed hospital. While the breach was not attributed to misconfiguration or software flaws, it highlights the importance of securing user credentials to prevent unauthorized access.
Softway Medical Group informed French journalists through a letter that it had identified an assault occurring within a healthcare facility on November 19, 2024, using its Mediboard technology; however, the company emphasized that the compromised data was not stored on its servers.
As reported, the alleged stolen data pertains to approximately 758,912 individuals.
- Full names
- Dates of delivery
- Gender
- Residence addresses
- Telephone numbers
- Electronic mail addresses
- Doctor particulars
- Prescription histories
- Well being card utilization info
A malicious actor named “nears” has compromised the market entry to the Mediboard platform, granting unauthorized access to sensitive healthcare and billing information, appointment schedules, and patient data for various hospitals in France.
At the moment of writing, it remains uncertain whether any individual has actually purchased the compromised information, despite the hacker’s assertions about sharing data with three prospective buyers.
There are undoubtedly severe risks associated with sensitive information like this falling into the hands of cybercriminals. The perpetual threat of data leakage online remains, regardless of whether an individual is identified as a buyer or not, leaving victims susceptible to identity theft, phishing, and social engineering attacks from cunning fraudsters and scammers.
Examine Tripwire’s offerings in assisting healthcare organizations protect patient data and ensure compliance with regulatory demands.
