MOVEit Claims 7 Million More; Patients of Delta Dental of California and Others

Delta Dental of California (DDC), Delta Dental Insurance Company, Delta Dental of Pennsylvania, and other subsidiaries may have exposed data; the compromised data is not a product of the organizations. Instead, the breach stems from a third-party servicer specializing in file management and transferring tools—MOVEit.

How Did the Attack Occur? 

Unbeknownst to organizations worldwide, MOVEit’s software contained a zero-day vulnerability. The weakness allowed cybercriminals to access the systems of thousands of organizations. Many are only just completing their internal investigations into the event. DDC is one of these, as their website notice states. Immediately after learning of the breach, the DDC deferred to cyber experts and forensic specialists. Their investigations concluded soon after. 

What Information Was Viewed or Stolen? 

The stolen information in this event includes patient data; more specifically, it involves names, data regarding dental procedures, and details about claims payments. In other words, identity, financial, and medical information was compromised in this event; however, the extent of the compromised data presumably differs between individuals. The consumer notices sent by the organizations provide specifics for individual situations. 

How Did Delta Dental of California Admit to the Breach? 

According to the Notice of Data Incident posted on their website, the DDC became aware of the breach when officials announced the MOVEit vulnerability on May 31st, 2023. A day later, the DDC noticed suspicious activity within their database, prompting investigations. On or around July 6th, their investigation concluded with confirmation of the breach in the weeks leading up to the MOVEit announcement. Impact investigations began and ultimately concluded around November 27th. Officials began sending notices to those impacted on or around December 14th.

What Will Become of the Stolen Information? 

The impact figure from this event is estimated to be 6,928,932 individuals. However, the actual figure may be more or less than this, depending on the consequences of the breach. For example, if the breach involved data from organizations that use the DDC as a benefit provider, those organizations may be at risk for further information threats. Cybercriminals only need a few credentials to complete sophisticated impersonation plots—threatening entire organizations with the consequences. 

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

The information stolen in this breach indicates what steps individuals should take going forward. There are no details about what specific data the assailants stole; subsequently, individuals should consider all associated data potentially exposed. The notices sent by DDC officials will provide additional details, but there’s no reason to wait for the physical notice to start taking control of your data. 

Those with data stolen in this event should proactively respond by changing their account passwords and permissions. They must enable multi-factor authentications and additional confirmation steps wherever possible. Further, those who have had data exposed that can easily change should be, since new numbers are more difficult for cybercriminals to misuse. Additionally, those with information that is so easily changed, like Social Security Numbers and bank accounts, must consider account monitoring services. These services are beneficial for accounts not closely watched by owners. Don’t wait for the notice to start protecting your data; start immediately to mitigate the consequences of this data breach.