Massachusetts Health Network Hacked; Patient Information Exposed

A Worcester, Massachusetts, health care network says someone hacked into its employee email system, potentially exposing the personal information of thousands of patients.

UMass Memorial Health notified patients earlier this month if their information was involved in the breach, which occurred between June 2020 and January. The personal data included Social Security numbers, insurance information and medical information, The Telegram & Gazette reported.

More than 200,000 patients and health plan participants could have been affected by the breach, according to a federal database of cybersecurity incidents at medical facilities.

The hospital says it has investigated the incident but couldn’t determine how much of the personal information may have been stolen.

Affected patients will receive free credit monitoring and data protection assistance.