If you have Healthcare data It's not violated in 2024, you either don't know it yet or consider yourself very lucky.
This is because 2024 has been a nightmare year for healthcare institutions and patients in the United States 184,111,469 records It has been violated. This represents 53% of the US population in 2024.
This staggering number represents a significant increase over previous years, setting a new and alarming record for healthcare data breaches.
The healthcare sector has faced unprecedented cybersecurity challenges, with attacks becoming more frequent, sophisticated and damaging than ever before.
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Illustration of a hacker at work stealing healthcare data (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutson)
Validation or data leakage?
Being hospitalized is stressful enough. It has put additional pressure on me 100 million Change Healthcare clientswhose data was exposed after the hack organized by the BlackCat Ransomware group. Not only did the breach expose sensitive health information, it also caused widespread disruptions in claims processing. Patients and providers across the country faced chaos as the breach affected their ability to access and pay for healthcare services.
The second major breach occurred at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, where the personal data of 13.4 million individuals were hacked. This breach included unauthorized access and use of tracking technologies that transmit user interactions to third parties.
Illustration of healthcare data that should be closed (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutson)
Hackers claim a major breach of a company that tracks and sells Americans' location data
Your health data has been hacked, so what?
You will receive a notification letter, although you realize it may take months before it reaches you (as was the case for victims of Ascending health data breach). The consequences are real and can be very painful. Medical identity theft directly impacts patients' health and safety. This occurs when criminals use stolen personal health information to obtain medical services or medications under someone else's name. This can create incorrect medical records that can include inaccurate diagnoses, allergies, or treatments.
As you may have guessed, this can also lead to financial repercussions, such as patients getting fraudulent claims and being billed for services they did not receive. Resolving these issues with insurance companies and health care providers takes time and brainpower. And you may not be in a rush to see the offending health care provider again. This is normal. A study has shown this Up to 54% of patients consider switching providers after a data breach.
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A doctor looks at healthcare data on a screen (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutson)
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When health data falls into the hands of data brokers
Sensitive health information can easily be combined with personal identifiers from data brokers, creating comprehensive profiles Criminals can exploit it. As a reminder, data brokers are companies that specialize in collecting, processing, and selling personal information from various sources, including public records, online activities, and social media.
They aggregate this data to create detailed consumer profiles that can be sold to marketers, insurance companies, and other entities for various purposes. The more detailed the profile, the greater the chance of identity theft and potential discrimination in employment and insurance. Employers may make hiring decisions based on perceived health risks, while insurance companies may deny coverage or increase premiums.
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A doctor and a patient in a healthcare facility (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutson)
Hidden costs of free apps: Your personal information
Wash your hands, remove your data
You can't prevent a data breach, but you can reduce its consequences by reducing your overall digital footprint.
1. Set your social media to private: Restrict access to your personal information Limit what strangers can see about your life and perhaps your health. Make sure your privacy settings are robust and updated regularly to prevent unauthorized data collection.
2. Remove your personal data from data brokers' databases: Either by searching for your name on people search sites and requesting removal one by one, or by using a data removal service. Data removal services automate the data removal process for you and allow you to track exactly where your data was found and whether it was removed, not only on people search sites, which are public data brokers, but also on hidden and private databases where you cannot search. Yourself (this is the worst).
Once your data is removed, Data removal services Monitor data brokers for your data and remove it again as needed (because they tend to re-list it after a while). This way, you can prevent data brokerage companies from compiling a complete profile about you and selling it to the first bidder, whether it's a hacker, a marketing agency, or an insurance company. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.
3. Delete all unused apps on your phone: Unused applications can be hidden gateways to data leaks and potential security vulnerabilities. Check regularly and Remove applications That you no longer use or need.
4. Check the permissions of the people you want to keep: Review each application Access your personal data, location, and device features To make sure you don't unintentionally share more information than necessary. Be especially careful with health and fitness tracking apps.
5. Use a VPN (virtual private network) when browsing: Encrypt your online activities and hide your digital location to add an extra layer of anonymity and protection. Reliable VPN It can help protect your personal information from potential interceptors and data miners. For the best VPNs, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your device Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
Key takeaways for Kurt
The reality of healthcare data breaches is scary, but it's not completely out of your control. Although you cannot prevent breaches from occurring, you can take steps to reduce the risks and protect your personal information. Think of it as adding locks to your digital doors: set your social media to private, use a VPN and clean out unused apps. Remember, the less information you leave behind, the harder it will be for bad actors to exploit it. Be vigilant and do not let your data become someone else's advantage.
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How do you feel about the increased risks to your personal information, and what steps have you taken to protect your data? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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