Florida’s health agency has warned of a data breach that may have exposed the data of up to 30,000 Medicaid patients following the breach of its IT systems through a phishing email.
The State of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration has revealed that hackers may have accessed the personal details and medical records of up to 30,000 Medicaid recipients due to a breach two months ago.
In a news release on Friday, Florida’s health agency said one of its employees “was the victim of a malicious phishing email” on November 15. A preliminary forensic analysis following an Inspector General’s investigation notified agency leaders of the breach. Details revealed that hackers may have partly or completely accessed the enrollees’ full names, birthdates, addresses, diagnoses, medical conditions, Medicaid ID numbers, medical conditions and social security numbers.
“It is possible that Medicaid enrollees’ full names, Medicaid ID numbers, dates of birth, address, diagnoses, medical conditions or Social Security numbers were accessed in part or full,” the statement read. “At this time, the Agency believes it is possible that the personal information of up to 30,000 individuals may have been partially or fully accessed.”
While the agency said it “has no reason to believe” that the information may have been stolen or misused, at least 6% of Medicaid enrollees have been affected. The AHCA is also providing a one-year membership to an identity theft safety program for those affected by the breach while a full forensic review is still ongoing.
“The AHCA is also making sure employees go through security training, and it’s exploring new security options to prevent future data breaches,” reads an excerpt from a regional news source.
The agency also stressed it has initiated “new and ongoing security training” to avoid such a scenario again and ensure proper security protocols for all employees.
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