Phishing (Photo – Stomchak)
Between February 19, 2024, and February 20, 2024, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health experienced a phishing attack in which a hacker was able to gain log-in credentials of 53 Public Health employees, compromising the personal information of more than 200,000 individuals.
By News Desk
Upon discovery of the phishing attack, Public Health took all the appropriate measures. They disabled the impacted e-mail accounts, reset and re-imaged the user’s device(s), blocked websites that were identified as part of the phishing campaign and quarantined all suspicious incoming e-mails. Additionally, awareness notifications were distributed to all workforce members to remind them to be vigilant when reviewing e-mails, especially those including links or attachments. Law enforcement was notified upon discovery of the phishing attack, and they investigated the incident.
The information identified in the e-mail accounts may have included individuals’ first and last name, date of birth, diagnosis, prescription, medical record number/patient ID, Medicare/Med-Cal number, health insurance information, Social Security Number, and other financial information.
Affected individuals may have been impacted differently and not all of the elements listed were present for each individual.
Public Health is notifying impacted individuals by mail. For individuals where a mailing address is not available, Public Health is also posting a notice on its website to provide information and resources. Public Health is also notifying the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights and other agencies as required by law and/or contract.
In response, Public Health has implemented numerous enhancements to reduce exposure to similar e-mail attacks in the future. While Public Health cannot confirm whether information has been accessed or misused, individuals are encouraged to review the content and accuracy of the information in their medical record with their medical provider.
Kroll will provide identity monitoring for one year at no cost to affected clients.
Individuals that would like to inquire, to see if their information was impacted, can contact the call center toll free in the U.S. at 1-866-898-4312, Monday thru Friday from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific Time.
Leave a Reply