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Hackers Continue to Target Healthcare; LabCorp Latest Victim
If you’ve ever had any lab tests done at LabCorp, there’s a very good chance your patient records have been hacked. The NC-based company, which is one of the largest clinical laboratories in the nation, suffered a cyberattack over the weekend of July 14th, forcing LabCorp to take certain systems offline as part of its breach response policy.
LabCorp is just the latest unlucky healthcare-related company that hackers have targeted. In fact, healthcare providers and government agencies across the U.S. have witnessed an increase in cybersecurity breaches in recent months.
In April alone, the Department of Health and Human Services tracked 42 reports of data breaches in the healthcare sector that affected data from 500 or more people. That month, the California Department of Developmental Services reported that 12 of its computers, containing medical records of 582,174 people, had been stolen.
“These threats are real,” said Oscar Alleyne, a senior adviser at the National Association of County and City Health Officials, during a recent panel discussion in Washington D.C.
Cyberattacks not only expose sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers, but a patient’s medical history and treatment. These healthcare hacks can also cripple providers and prevent them from taking care of patients. LabCorp is a case in point. Due to the cyberattack, the company had to suspend test processing until it could contain the hack.
Alleyne noted that breaches, which include malware attacks, computer thefts, and unauthorized network access, can cost healthcare providers more than $400 per patient.
For questions, comments or concerns, please contact Jennifer Duell Popovec
