UCLA Health Confirms Breach; 4.5 Million Possibly Affected

Joining healthcare organizations Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, Anthem, Community Health Systems, and Premera Blue Cross is the UCLA Health System. The organization announced this week that it detected an intruder in its network possibly in September of 2014, but did not believe any data was accessed. However, on May 5, 2015 investigators determined that attackers had gained accessed to personal information of customers including social security numbers, medial information, dates of birth, names, and addresses.

Investigators and UCLA officials have stated that there is no evidence that the information is being used in any nefarious way, but investigators are continuing to look into it. Up to 4.5 million people may have been affected.

Healthcare continues to be a target for hackers and there is no expectation it will change in the near term. At this point, the question as to whether or not anyone will be a victim of this type of data breach is irrelevant. Now, the question is when and how can we protect ourselves.

It’s important to review any benefits statements after receiving treatment for any healthcare item. These list the name of the doctor or clinic performing the service and what tests or procedures were done there. If anything looks unfamiliar, place a call to the doctor’s office and ask them what it means. If it remains unclear, call the insurance company and let them know. While it may not be the objective of data thieves to get healthcare with stolen information, they could. This puts the victims healthcare at risk.

However, sometimes the hackers are looking for the most data and the most significant data requiring the least possible effort. They can sell that information, but also can use it to try and guess security questions. Often, information found in healthcare files is used as security questions for account authentication.

Unfortunately the healthcare industry is in a state of flux right now. Paper records are being transitioned to computerized form and in the process security may not have been as well thought out as it should be during this phase. This is expected to change as the electronification of records matures.

In the meantime, be sure to check the benefits statements and continue to monitor credit reports. It’s advised to order one every four months to better react to potential fraud and settle any issues quicker. There is a website to get one from each of the three major credit reporting agencies each year at no charge. Just be sure to read the fine print and don’t get caught out by the attempts to upsell other products and services

Although UCLA Health has not been able to confirm what precisely was accessed, it is offering one year of free credit monitoring to those whose social security number or Medicare identification number were stored on the accessed part of the network. Four UCLA hospitals, and more than 150 primary and specialty offices throughout Southern California were included in this incident.