Central Florida Inpatient Medicine Breach

Central Florida Inpatient Medicine is on record, acknowledging a data security breach. The criminal invasion of the company's internal systems is the latest in a never-ending flurry of web-based attacks. Here's a look at the attack, along with the response.

How was the Breach Executed?

The criminals responsible for the breach stole sensitive information after accessing a Central Florida Inpatient Medicine employee email account.  

What Information was Stolen in the Breach?

The breach resulted in the theft of Social Security numbers, full names, financial account numbers, home addresses, medical diagnoses, and more. Additional examples of information stolen or at least viewed in the breach include usernames, passwords, and personal information that is supposed to be protected as it pertains to patient medical problems.

How Were Compromised Individuals Notified?

Compromised parties were notified of the potential exposure of personal information weeks after the breach. The medical services provider reached out to compromised parties through letters detailing the breach and potential theft of sensitive information.

How Many People Were Victimized in the Breach?

Hackers accessed personal information about several thousands of patients in the attack. However, CFIM refused to specify exactly how many patients were victimized. The unauthorized party in question obtained access to an internal CFIM employee email account, yet the extent of the data access has not been revealed.  

It is possible that the healthcare services provider does not know the true extent of the attack, meaning the exact number of compromised individuals might not yet be quantified by anyone but the hackers. Though the exact number of victims is yet to be determined, it is worth noting that CFIM contacted nearly 200,000 individuals after the breach.

What was the Response to the Breach?

CFIM reached out to digital forensics specialists to analyze the incident.   The analysis revealed that patient data was leaked after an unauthorized individual accessed an internal email account. The attack occurred between August 21, 2021, and mid-September of the same year. CFIM admitted through written correspondence that the email account infiltrator provided easy and direct access to protected patient health information and even patient financial information.

How did CFIM Improve Its Digital Shield After the Breach?

The most important thing consumers, business owners, and everyday people can do to protect their identity is implement the necessary digital safeguards. It is becoming increasingly clear that companies storing our personal information are not only being targeted by digital miscreants but faltering amidst those attacks and ultimately losing valuable data that paves a path for identity theft. By choosing the industry's best identity theft protection services, you can do your part to prevent financial fraud and other stressful problems caused by threat actors.

CFIM has bolstered its digital safeguards in several ways in the aftermath of the breach described above. Company executives took extensive measures to enhance technical protections, ultimately reducing the chances of a similar breach down the line. CFIM's brass invested in robust technical barriers to its email system to prevent another instance of illegal access.  

CFIM also added multifactor authentication, ensuring internal employees and customers enter a second passcode to access their accounts. The icing on the cake is the implementation of digital security training for employees to heighten company-wide awareness of online threats lurking 'round the clock.