Fairfax Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Gets Hacked Losing Data for Over 208k

Fairfax Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, or Fairfax OMS, is a dental practice that first opened in Burke, Virginia, in 1980. The organization offers a mix of dental surgery services, such as bone grafting, wisdom tooth extraction, dental implants, and more. The organization accepts patients in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and six separate locations throughout Virginia. There are more than 87 employees in the organization, and it generates about $16 million in annual revenue. The organization was recently hacked into, and it suffered a major data breach exposing the data of more than 208,000 patients. 

How Did the Attack Occur?

We don't know the specific mechanisms the hackers used, but we do know that the Fairfax OMS data breach occurred because attackers infiltrated the company's data files and looked through sensitive information. The notice for this breach was filed on July 14, 2023, but we suspect the data losses occurred before then. The attackers likely obtained user credentials through a phishing attack, but it's also possible the hackers found a vulnerability in some of the software used by Fairfax to get into the network. Either way, attackers gained access to sensitive personal and medical data and were able to compromise 208,000 people as a result. 

What Information Was Viewed or Stolen?

We don't have a list of the stolen data, but it was taken from a surgery practice and was reported as mostly health-related data. That means that insurance information, medical diagnoses, identification information, medication information, and more was probably taken during this breach. If you have visited Fairfax Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the past, you likely know what data you provided the firm with. Any of the information you inputted on forms when visiting the facility could have been lost to the attackers when they broke into the network. All this data could be used for individual identity theft attacks that result in significant harm over time. 

How Did Fairfax OMS Admit to the Breach?

After Fairfax OMS realized its files were compromised and that there was a data breach, the company sent a notice to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services detailing how many people were involved and what sort of data was taken. The information stolen in this breach is mostly health-related, and it could be harmful for anyone that lost information. This notice was filed on July 14, 2023, so patients have only heard about this breach for a few weeks. 

What Will Become of the Stolen Information?

The stolen data is likely being used for identity theft attacks, or it may be resold to someone else looking to use it. There is no way to know specifically what will be done with the stolen data. There is enough information available for hackers to launch successful phishing attacks. It's also possible that the data will never be used, but this is unlikely. 

What Should Affected Parties Do in the Aftermath of the Breach?

If you get a notice explaining that your information was involved in this data breach, you should immediately protect your information as best as possible. Getting a credit monitoring service is a good way to watch your credit. You should get free credit reports from all the bureaus and see if anything unexpected about your credit has changed. You could also freeze your credit to prevent attackers from being able to misuse it. There is no information about what Fairfax OMS is going to do about this breach, so you will have to protect yourself.