A recent massive data breach at pharmacy services provider PharMerica has exposed the medical data of over 5.8 million patients. PharMerica operates in all 50 U.S. states, with 180 local and 70,000 backup pharmacies, and serves 3,100 medical facilities nationwide.
In a data breach notification submitted to the Office of the Maine Attorney General, we learn that hackers breached PharMerica’s system on March 12th, 2023, stealing sensitive information such as full names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers (SSNs), medications, and health insurance details of 5,815,591 people.
The company discovered the intrusion on March 14th, 2023, and by March 21st, it was confirmed that client data had been stolen. However, notices of the data breach were only sent to impacted individuals on May 12th, 2023.
PharMerica is offering one year of identity protection fraud monitoring services through Experian. If you’re affected, it’s recommended to take up this offer to minimize the risk and impact of any malicious attacks.
How the data was leaked
PharMerica did not specify the type of hacking incident, but the Money Message ransomware gang claimed responsibility for the attack on March 28th, 2023, when they started publishing the stolen data.
In addition to PharMerica, the hackers also targeted BrightSpring, a health service provider that merged with PharMerica in March 2019.
The Money Message gang claimed to have stolen 4.7 TB of data during their attack on PharMerica, stating that it included at least 1.6 million unique records of personal information. On April 9th, 2023, they published all of the stolen data on their extortion site, where it remains available for download at this time.
To make matters worse, a threat actor has already posted the entire data dump on a clearnet hacking forum, breaking the file into 13 parts for easier downloading.
Money Message is a new ransomware operation that launched around March 2023 and gained media attention for its breach against Taiwanese PC parts maker MSI (Micro-Star International).
How Were the Data Breaches at MCNA Dental and PharMerica Similar?
The mcna dental data breach affects 89 million people and shares similarities with the PharMerica data breach. Both incidents involved unauthorized access to sensitive information, creating grave risks to individuals’ privacy. the significant number of affected individuals highlights the urgent need for stringent cybersecurity measures across industries to safeguard personal data from cyber threats.
Don’t let this happen to your business
As a business owner, it’s crucial to protect your customers’ data and ensure the security of your IT infrastructure. This breach serves as a stark reminder of the risks and potential damage that can result from cyberattacks.
At ZZ Servers, we understand the importance of cybersecurity and are committed to helping businesses like yours safeguard their data and systems. Our team of experts offers cutting-edge solutions to keep your business safe from cyber threats.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Contact us today to learn how ZZ Servers can help protect your business and give you peace of mind.
