316K Anna Jaques Hospital Patients Affected By Data Breach

Personal information of more than 316,000 individuals were feared to have been compromised after a ransomware attack at Anna Jaques Hospital’s data system in December last year.

In a recent disclosure on its website, the Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Massachusetts said that affected customers have been notified that their sensitive information including names, demographics, medical information, health insurance, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and financial information may have been compromised.

However, it said that situations for each individual may vary.

It also added that there is so far no indication that the information were used to engage in any fraudulent activities.

To compensate, the hospital offered customers with two years of identity theft and credit monitoring services.

The breach was discovered in December last year, prompting the hospital to temporarily divert patients from its emergency rooms after its health record system was shut down.

Initially, the hospital informed the public about the breach last January 23, following an online post by hack group Money Message which listed the hospital among the victims and claimed to have stolen 600 gigabytes of data.

However, on January 19, 2024, the attackers publicly demanded ransom, threatening to release stolen patient data unless their demands were met.

The hacker later made the data available for download.

Anna Jaques urged both its patients and employees to remain vigilant by regularly reviewing financial account statements for any unauthorized transactions.

It also recommended patients to carefully examine their insurance Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements and report any unfamiliar items to their health insurer.

Anna Jaques Hospital is a not-for-profit community healthcare provider offering a range of services, including primary and emergency care, to the Merrimack Valley, North Shore, and Southern New Hampshire regions.

The hospital, recognized for its high-quality care and surgical expertise, served as a vital healthcare provider for the Merrimack Valley, North Shore, and southern New Hampshire regions.

“Anna Jaques understands the importance of safeguarding individual personal information. Anna Jaques remains fully committed to maintaining the privacy of personal information in our possession, and upon learning of the event,” it said.

“[It] continually evaluates and modifies its practices to enhance the security and privacy of personal information and are taking measures to augment its existing cybersecurity,” it added.