UCLA Health System data breach affects 4.5 million patients - Los Angeles Times
Marking another high-profile data breach, hackers broke into UCLA Health System's computer network and may have accessed sensitive information on as many as 4. 5 million patients, hospital officials said. The intrusion is raising fresh questions about the ability of hospitals, health insurers and other medical providers to safeguard the vast troves of electronic medical records and other sensitive data they are stockpiling. The revelation that UCLA hadn't taken the basic step of encrypting this patient data drew swift criticism from security experts and patient advocates, particularly at a time when cybercriminals are targeting so many big players in healthcare,... “These breaches will keep happening because the healthcare industry has built so many systems with thousands of weak links,” said Dr. Deborah Peel, founder of Patient Privacy Rights in Austin, Texas. UCLA said Friday that it's working with the FBI and had hired computer forensic experts to further secure its network. “We take this attack on our systems extremely seriously,” said Dr. James Atkinson, interim president of the UCLA Hospital System. It wasn't until May 5, according to UCLA, that investigators determined that the hackers had gained access to parts of UCLA Health's computer network where some patient information. Source: www.latimes.com
