US Fertility Reports Ransomware Attack Involving Data Theft
US Fertility has announced it suffered a ransomware attack on September 14, 2020 that affected some of its computer systems, including systems that contained sensitive protected health information. US Fertility is the largest operator of fertility clinics in the United States, running clinics at 55 locations in 10 states. Almost half of its locations are known to have been affected by the attack.
US Fertility responded immediately to the attack and determined that data had been encrypted on a number of its servers and workstations connected to its domain. Those devices were immediately taken offline while the attack was investigated. Third-party security and forensic experts were retained to assist with the investigation and the recovery of data on the affected workstations and servers. USF said it successfully restored all affected devices and reconnected them to the network on September 20, 2020. The attack has been reported to federal law enforcement and USF is assisting in the ongoing investigation.
USF said the forensic investigation has now been completed and data theft has been confirmed. The attackers first gained access to its network on August 12, 2020 and access remained possible until the attack was discovered on September 14, 2020. A review was conducted of all files accessible to the attackers, that that review was completed on November 13.
USF said unknown actors may have had access to files containing names, addresses, dates of birth, MPI numbers, and Social Security numbers. The types of data exposed varied from individual to individual and most patients did not have their Social Security number compromised.
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While data theft was confirmed, there have been no reports received to indicate protected health information has been misused, but affected individuals have been advised to monitor their accounts and report any cases of suspected misuse of their protected health information. 5,439 individuals have been affected by the breach.
USF has taken several steps to improve security since the attack, including fortification of its firewall, enhanced monitoring of networking activity, and further training has been provided to employees on data protection, computer security, and recognizing phishing emails.
