UNOS data breach exposes 1.2 million patient records, sparks investigation

Richmond-based nonprofit United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which is responsible for overseeing organ transplantation in the U.S., encountered a data breach compromising nearly 1.2 million patient records.

UNOS manages the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, serving 56 organ procurement organizations and 248 transplant hospitals nationwide.

The breach, currently under investigation by UNOS, led to the inadvertent exposure of Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and medical procedure details. Despite the breach, organ matching and allocation remained unaffected.

UNOS clarified that the exposed data, available solely to authorized organ transplant community members, did not include names or addresses. However, UNOS representatives did not disclose details regarding the number of affected individuals or potential access to the exposed data.

There is no evidence of misuse of patient data, with UNOS asserting that the system’s security remained uncompromised by an external breach. Upon discovering the error on November 14, UNOS promptly removed the information and engaged a security expert to assess the extent of the breach. Notably, this incident follows a governmental report from two years ago highlighting UNOS’ outdated technological infrastructure.