NorthStar Emergency Medical Services, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has informed 82,450 patients of a data breach that could have compromised sensitive information such as social security numbers and insurance data.
The company detected unusual activity on its network on September 16, 2022, and took steps to secure the data and investigate the disruption.
NorthStar officials have reported the incident to law enforcement but have not disclosed information about the perpetrator of the breach.
While there is no evidence that any information has been misused, NorthStar is reaching out to affected individuals to inform them about the steps they can take to protect their information.
NorthStar established a toll-free helpline to assist people who might have been affected by the breach, and more information about steps that can be taken to protect financial information and obtain credit reports can be found on its website.
The breach does not appear on the website of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Health providers have become popular targets for hacking and ransomware attacks, and last year, an ambulance service in New York’s Hudson Valley disclosed that it had been targeted in an attack that affected more than 300,000 people.
The NorthStar data breach highlights the continued risk of cyberattacks against healthcare providers and the importance of data security measures to prevent such incidents.
