Albany ENT & Allergy Services (AENT) recently faced significant scrutiny following two ransomware attacks in 2023 that compromised patient data. DataBreaches reported that both the RansomHouse and BianLian groups had listed AENT on their leak sites, but the notification sent to 224,486 affected individuals lacked critical information regarding the attacks.
In the notification, AENT only mentioned that suspicious activity was detected on March 27, 2023, and initiated an investigation, failing to disclose any details about the ransomware incidents or the type of data compromised. The New York State Attorney General’s Office subsequently announced a settlement with AENT, requiring them to pay $500,000 in penalties while committing to invest $2.25 million in a cybersecurity program over the next five years.
This enforcement action stemmed from AENT’s inability to adequately protect patient information, which included sensitive data such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and medical records for approximately 213,935 New Yorkers. While the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has not taken public action against AENT, the state pursued enforcement under various business laws.
The investigation revealed alarming gaps in AENT’s security measures, particularly related to its third-party vendor responsible for data security. Following the first breach, the vendor implemented some security measures but failed to address the root cause of the vulnerability. Consequently, a second group of attackers exploited the same weaknesses. AENT later hired a cybersecurity firm to conduct a thorough investigation, but challenges arose due to inadequate server logs and a lack of proactive monitoring, hindering their ability to identify the attack vector. Moreover, the investigation uncovered that unprotected patient information remained on AENT’s data storage devices for months after the attacks.
The Attorney General’s Office noted that the oversight was exacerbated by a single AENT employee acting as a liaison with vendors, who lacked the necessary IT expertise. The settlement imposes a series of required security measures for AENT to enhance its cybersecurity infrastructure while emphasizing the importance of accountability and robust data protection in healthcare organizations.
Reference:
