UCLA’s hospital system victim of cyber-attack
Jul 17, 2015, 12:37 PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Information on as many as 4.5 million people was stored on servers that were accessed during cyber-attacks beginning last year against the hospital system of the University of California, Los Angeles, officials said Friday.
UCLA Health said in a statement that while there’s no evidence that hackers acquired personal or medical data, it can’t be immediately ruled out.
Officials said they were working with the FBI to track the source of the attacks. A message seeking further information from the FBI was not immediately returned.
Beginning as early as September 2014, hackers accessed a network that contains “personal information such as names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, medical record numbers, Medicare or health plan ID numbers and some medical information,” the statement said.
UCLA Health has hired private computer forensic experts to further secure information at its four hospitals.
Free identity protection services will be offered to individuals who may have been affected.
“We sincerely regret any impact this incident may have on those we serve,” said Dr. James Atkinson, UCLA Health’s interim associate vice chancellor and president. “We have taken significant steps to further protect data and strengthen our network against another cyber-attack.”
UCLA Health includes four hospitals on two campuses — Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center; UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica; Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA; and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA — and more than 150 primary and specialty offices throughout Southern California.
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