Unfortunately, odds are good you’ve received notice at some point in your life about your data being leaked in one capacity or another—usually through someone hacking into a business database. Sometimes, the breach involves a healthcare organization, such as the massive 2016 hack into Banner Health that exposed the protected health information of nearly 3 million people. A recent big data breach impacted healthcare differently: The attack was on medical professionals. Cybernews research team reports that a huge data breach at a Florida-based recruitment firm impacted over 14,000 hospitals and medical professionals. In June 2024, the researchers found “an open web directory hosting a database backup belonging to MNA Healthcare.”. This American firm is reputed for providing staffing services for healthcare professionals and placing them in the best healthcare organizations.” The magnitude of the leak is enormous. Cybernews broke the news that the compromised data comprises:
- Information from 11,000 hospitals
- 14,000 physicians’ accounts
- 37,000 potential leads
- 11,000 job applications
The compromised sensitive information contained names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, birth dates, work history, jobs that MNA Healthcare had assigned, contacts with MNA Healthcare agents, encrypted Social Security numbers (SSNs). Financial fraud and identity theft are potential criminal intent. The compromised information also puts victims at risk for phishing attacks and other scams. The stolen social security numbers facilitate the ease with which criminals can obtain credit cards, get loans, or act as a gateway to gathering additional information. There were various issues with data storage, Aras Nazarovas, a Cybernews security researcher, said. “Data leak raises additional concerns about the security of the company’s infrastructure, as the database backup for their platform was stored inappropriately, and a configuration file with the key most likely used to decrypt SSNs.” The investigation continues. If you have been a victim of identity theft or data leak, report it to your local police immediately, and online at identitytheft.gov. This website can assist you in recovering from the attack and includes information so you can guard against future assaults. Further, you should contact each of the three credit reporting companies—Equifax, Experian, and Transunion—and place a credit freeze on your accounts. A data breach is no joke, but through assistance from local and national law enforcement, you can regain your possessions—and your sense of well-being.
