SEATTLE– Some patients at a Seattle cancer center received email threats following a hack that led to a data breach last month.
Officials at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center reported that on November 19, a portion of the health system’s clinical network had been hacked, possibly leaking patient data.
This week, some former and current patients received threatening emails claiming that the names, Social Security numbers, medical records and other data of more than 800,000 patients had been intercepted, The Seattle Times reported.
Emails provided to the newspaper stated that the recipients’ stolen data will be sold.
Christina VerHeul, the center’s associate vice president of communications, said she could not speculate on the number of people affected, but that an investigation was ongoing.
After last month’s hack, the center disconnected its clinical network, notified federal authorities and hired a forensic security company to investigate, VerHeul said.
The center urged patients to closely monitor bank statements and credit reports.
The center recommended that those who receive suspicious or threatening calls or emails report them to the FBI, block the senders and delete the messages. The center warned that if the message demands a ransom, it should not be paid.
Source: AP
