Weekly Cybersecurity Recap May 26

Health, financial, and education institutions took major hits this week in coordinated data breach attacks. PharMerica Credit Control Corporation, Retirement Clearinghouse, Whitworth University, and Bristol Community College were all victims of major breaches that resulted in significant data losses and some serious problems for the people involved. Massive companies are being hit by these breaches, and you should consider credit monitoring services for your own personal safety. Learn the specifics about these breaches in our quick recap. 

PharMerica

PharMerica is one of the latest victims of the Money Message ransomware gang. The gang broke into the company and accessed the records of more than 2 million people held by PharMerica. PharMerica is one of the largest pharmacy and health practice online service providers around today. The company works with more than 2,500 facilities and 3,100 pharmacies, and the breach impacted more than 5.8 million people overall. During this breach, significant data, like Social Security numbers, medical information, names and addresses, and more, were lost. The breach occurred on March 12 through the 14th of 2023, and official statements about it went out on April of 2023. Anyone involved has access to confidential credit monitoring services. 

Credit Control Corporation

Credit Control Corporation, or CCC, is a small debt collection service provider located in Newport News, Virginia. The company handles debt, cash flow, budget planning, and more for corporate clients, and it was hacked from March 2 to March 7, 2023. During those several days, customer names and Social Security numbers were taken. The company filed a notice with the Maine Attorney General on May 15, 2023, and sent out letters to everyone impacted by this breach. 

Retirement Clearinghouse

Retirement Clearinghouse is a specialty company that helps companies transfer their employee assets into 401Ks and other retirement accounts. The company has been in operation since 2001 and employs 87 people. This services company was breached on March 15, 2023, exposing the IRA account numbers, full names, and Social Security numbers of 10,509 account holders. It's a serious breach that could result in fraud and financial harm to anyone involved. 

Whitworth University

Whitworth University is a small private Christian university with more than 3,000 students and 781 staff members. The school suffered from a data breach on July 29, 2022, and it wasn't until April 28, 2023, that a full investigation was completed. The investigation confirmed that more than 65,500 students lost their Social Security numbers, passport information, birthdates, full names, student identification numbers, and health information to this breach. 

Bristol Community College

Bristol Community College is a mid-sized university in Fall River, Massachusetts that was attacked by hackers in an attempt to steal confidential data and use it to make money off the victims. The breach occurred between December 13 and 14 of 2022, and during that time, a substantial amount of personal and financial data was taken. The attackers were able to get Social Security numbers, credit or debit card information, driver's license numbers, protected health data, and much more. Official notices went out on May 10, 2023, and anyone involved should take steps to protect their data from harmful use.