Washington-based Proliance Surgeons says ransomware attack impacted 437,000 patients

Washington-based independent specialists and surgeons group Proliance Surgeons announced that it suffered a significant cyber attack that compromised the sensitive personal information of patients.

Seattle, Washington-based healthcare provider Proliance Surgeons specialises in orthopaedics, otolaryngology, general surgery, ophthalmology and neurosurgery and works with more than 180 board-certified physicians in over 100 locations.

In a data security incident notice published on its website, the healthcare group said that on May 24, it identified a security incident that involved threat actors accessing certain files that contained the sensitive personal information of patients. The group immediately launched an internal investigation to understand the nature and scope of the incident.

The investigation later revealed that threat actors infiltrated Proliance’s internal network on February 11 this year, accessed certain files and encrypted some files and systems. “Some systems and files were encrypted, and unauthorised access resulted in the removal of a limited number of files,” Proliance said.

Following a detailed investigation, the healthcare provider concluded that the sensitive personal information of its patients was affected due to the ransomware attack. The compromised information included patients’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, medical treatment information, health insurance information, phone numbers, email addresses, financial account numbers, driver license data and other identification information, usernames and passwords.

In a recent filing with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, Proliance Surgeons said that at least 437,392 individuals were impacted by the ransomware attack. On November 21, the organisation started notifying those affected by the data breach.

“Your privacy and security are our top priorities. We have taken immediate action to protect your health and personal information and are enhancing our cybersecurity protocols. We continuously evaluate and refine our practices to enhance the security and privacy of personal and protected health information, and we are implementing measures to reinforce our existing cybersecurity protocols,” Proliance Surgeons said in its letter to affected patients.

It’s not clear who is behind the ransomware attack or how the threat actors infiltrated its network. The healthcare group has also not commented on whether it paid a ransom or engaged with the hackers to retrieve the stolen information.

Proliance Surgeons have urged all affected individuals to remain vigilant, review their financial account statements regularly for any signs of fraudulent activities, and report suspicious activities to relevant law enforcement authorities and financial organisations as soon as possible. Also, individuals can secure themselves by placing a “Security Freeze" on their credit files.