PHI of 47,000 Individuals Potentially Compromised in Electromed Inc. Data Breach
Electromed Inc., a New Prague, MN-based developer and manufacturer of airway clearance devices, has announced it suffered a security breach in June 2021 in which unauthorized individuals gained access to certain IT systems.
Electromed said unauthorized activity was detected in its IT systems on June 16, 2021 and steps were immediately taken to prevent further unauthorized access. An investigation was launched to determine the source and scope of the breach and third-party cybersecurity experts were engaged to assist with the investigation.
Electromed determined the unauthorized third party accessed certain files that contained the personal and protected health information of its customers, as well as information of its employees and certain third-party contractors. A comprehensive review was conducted of all files on the affected systems, which revealed they contained customers’ first and last names, mailing addresses, medical information, health insurance information and, for associates, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and financial account information.
While it is possible that the above types of information were obtained by the attackers, no evidence has been found to indicate misuse of the above information and no reports have been received of any cases of identity theft related to the security breach.
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As a precaution against identity theft and fraud, complementary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services have been offered to affected individuals, who have been advised to check their credit reports, financial accounts, and explanation of benefits statements for any sign of fraudulent activity.
“Protecting the privacy of customers’ personal information is important to us, and we regret any inconvenience this incident may cause its customers,” said Electromed in its substitute breach notice. “To help prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future, we have taken steps to enhance the security of its systems, and continues to review its security protocols and processes, and enhancing employee training and education.”
The security breach has ben reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights as affecting 47,200 individuals.
