UNM Health is a healthcare system based out of New Mexico. It prides itself on being the only academic healthcare center within the state.
UNM Health was victimized by an online attack in 2021. The hack resulted in the theft of data from more than half a million people. The data breach resulted in the theft of patient information ranging from names and addresses to social security numbers, medical record numbers, and more. The breach extends to the medical records of child patients, including health insurance information about those youngsters. However, it appears that hackers did not access the details of adult electronic medical records in the attack.
UNM Health officials have no knowledge that anyone misused the stolen data. However, time will tell if the stolen data ends up on the dark web or the black market, creating an opportunity for identity theft. It appears as though the breach occurred in May. UNM officials learned of the breach in early June. However, the public was not notified right away.
Hackers weaseled their way into the UNM Health network. Once the hackers gained access to the network, they exfiltrated files.
This breach occurred on June 4, 2021.
The breach impacts UNM Health as well as its patients. As noted below, the breach was extensive to the point that it affected a considerable percentage of the state's residents, including child and adult patients alike.
The data breach affected 600,000 patients or possibly even more. This figure represents more than 25% of New Mexico's population.
UNM Breach Resources
● UNM Health Notice of Privacy Incident
● University of New Mexico Health (UNM Health) Data Breach (nusenda.org)