Hartford HealthCare announced on Monday that their system was recently the victim of a phishing attack that may have compromised patient information.
The company said on February 13 they were made aware of concerning activity tied to two employee email accounts. Investigation by a technology forensics team found that someone gained access to the accounts between February 13 and 14. At least one of the accounts included personal patient information, including names, dates of birth, medical records, and other health and insurance information. In 23 cases, the information including a social security number.
Hartford HealthCare said it is notifying the 2,651 affected patients by mail. The company will offer two years of free credit monitoring for the 23 patients whose social security numbers were affected by the breach.
The breach did not affect Hartford HealthCare's electronic medical records, the company said.
"Hartford HealthCare deeply regrets that this incident occurred. We value the trust our patients place in us and take seriously our role in safeguarding the personal and medical information of our patients," the company wrote in a statement.
Patients who receive a letter or who are concerned their information may be affected can call Hartford HealthCare at 800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST.
