Data Breach Announced by NorthShore Health Centers
NorthShore Health Centers, a nonprofit healthcare provider serving patients in Porter, Lake, La Porte, and Jasper Counties in Northwest Indiana, has warned patients about a cybersecurity incident that exposed some of their personal and protected health information.
According to its October 14, 2026, website notice about the data privacy event, the incident was first detected on August 10, 2026. An investigation was launched into suspicious network activity, with assistance provided by third-party cybersecurity and digital forensics experts. The investigation determined that an (unnamed) unauthorized third party had access to parts of its IT environment between August 10, 2026, and August 11, 2026, and potentially viewed or obtained files containing patient information.
The investigation and data review are ongoing as of October 14, 2026, so the number of affected individuals has not yet been confirmed. The types of information involved are still being assessed; however, it is likely that names, Social Security numbers, information related to medical treatments and conditions, and health insurance information were involved.
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NorthShore Health Centers said it will mail notification letters to the affected individuals when the data review is concluded. Current and former patients should be aware that a ransomware group called Insomnia has claimed responsibility for the incident. The group added NorthShore Health Centers to its dark web data leak site and threatened to publish the stolen data if a ransom was not paid; it then proceeded to leak the stolen data. The HIPAA Journal has not downloaded any of the leaked data; however, the file tree suggests that patient data is likely included in the leaked dataset.
As such, patients should consider placing a fraud alert and credit freeze with one of the three major credit reporting agencies and should carefully monitor their accounts and explanation of benefits statements for signs of data misuse. If data misuse is suspected, it should be promptly reported to the relevant institution (bank, insurer, etc.).
