UC San Diego Health Suffers Data Breach After Phishing Attack

Exploit: Phishing

Company: University of California, San Diego Health Industry: Healthcare Sources: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/uc-san-diego-health-discloses-data-breach-after-phishing-attack/

The University of California, San Diego Health recently disclosed a data breach occurred after some employee email addresses were compromised in a phishing attack. Four months or more had passed before the breach was discovered.

In that time, it is feared that the unauthorized access of the email addresses may have led to the theft of personal info of patients, students, and employees. Ongoing investigations by the network’s security teams, in conjunction with third-party cyber security experts, has led UC San Diego Health to believe that no information has been misused since the attack.

Remediation has begun for UC San Diego Health in the form of changing employee credentials, disabling access points, enhancing security processes, and notifying those that may have had their information compromised in the data breach.

With stolen personal information such as full names, addresses, birth dates, social security numbers, medical records and other medical information, the impacts include further targeted cyber attacks on individuals and identity theft. Although the hospital and its security partners believe there to be “no evidence that other UC San Diego Health systems were impacted” and no “evidence at this time that the information has been misused,” it is wise for any individuals to continue to monitor their accounts and remain vigilant.