Roper St. Francis Healthcare

Summary

A cybersecurity incident at Milestone Family Medicine, a medical practice affiliated with Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, involved unauthorized access to certain systems potentially compromising patient information. The breach exposed sensitive data including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, health insurance details, and treatment-related information. Upon discovery, the organization secured affected systems, initiated an investigation with third-party forensic assistance, and notified impacted individuals. While there was no evidence of data misuse, the entity offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services to patients whose Social Security numbers were exposed. The incident prompted enhancements to technology management and security oversight to prevent future occurrences.

Motives

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TTPs

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Description

On January 4, 2019, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System discovered that an unauthorized individual had accessed systems at Milestone Family Medicine, a Greenville-based medical practice previously affiliated with St. Francis Physician Services. The health system immediately secured the compromised account and initiated an investigation, engaging a third-party forensic firm to assist. The investigation revealed that patient information stored on one of the practice's servers was potentially exposed. This data included full names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, physical addresses, health insurance details, and clinical information related to care received at Milestone Family Medicine. While the breach notification didn't specify the exact number of affected individuals, it confirmed the exposure of highly sensitive personal and health information that could enable identity theft or insurance fraud.

Bon Secours began mailing notification letters to impacted patients following the investigation's conclusions. The organization offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services specifically to patients whose Social Security numbers were exposed. Patients were advised to review their healthcare provider statements for unauthorized charges and report discrepancies. Although no evidence of information misuse was identified, the health system acknowledged the breach's potential consequences by implementing enhanced technology management protocols and strengthening information security risk oversight. The incident response included establishing a dedicated call center (1-877-239-1255) operational on weekdays to address patient concerns, reflecting organizational efforts to manage fallout while instituting preventive measures against future breaches.

Sources

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