Dakota Eye Institute data breach compromised the personal data of 107k patients

North Dakota-based Dakota Eye Institute said it suffered a major cyber security incident in late October that compromised the personal information of about 107,000 patients.

Dakota Eye Institute is a leading eyecare facility in the US state of North Dakota with locations in Bismarck, Linton and Rugby. Founded in 1989, it enjoys an annual revenue of about $20 million and employs about 35 doctors, specialists and staff.

The eyecare institute recently announced that it suffered a cyber security incident that impacted its IT systems and gave cyber criminals access to its patients’ personal information. The institute said it engaged third-party cyber security experts to assess, contain and remediate the incident and notified law enforcement authorities.

"While the investigation did not find any instances of fraud or identity theft that have occurred as a result of this incident, out of an abundance of caution, DEI is notifying individuals whose personal information was involved and providing resources they can use to help protect their information," DEI said.

The privately-owned eyecare facility said in a regulatory filing with the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights that the cyber security incident impacted 107,143 patients but did not disclose the nature of personal information that was accessed.

"DEI takes its responsibility to safeguard personal information seriously and regrets any concern this incident may have caused. As part of DEI’s ongoing commitment to the security of information, the organisation has reviewed and enhanced its data security policies and procedures in order to help reduce the likelihood of a similar event in the future," it said.

DEI says it is offering complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Cyberscout to all affected individuals and says it is dedicated to ensuring the privacy and security of all information in its control.