Thursday Threat Update 1/13/22: Data Breaches Impact Broward Health & FlexBooker
Chances are you may have heard some variation of “data is the new oil.” Digital services are a vital part of our lives. They bring more convenience, they require personal data to operate.
Hackers have certainly been paying attention and increasing the frequency of their attacks. As of September 2021, there had already been more successful data breaches reported in the US than in all of 2020. And it wasn’t until late November when the Log4j vulnerability was first identified.
Making cybersecurity & privacy risks to your personal life top of mind
It can be overwhelming to keep track of all the cybersecurity events of consequence to your personal digital life. That’s why we are launching a new bi-weekly blog series entitled “Thursday Threat Update.”
Beginning today, every other week BlackCloak will shine the spotlight on the lesser-known cyber events. When relevant, we’ll provide recommendations on practical actions to take to reduce risk to you, your family and your business.
In this first blog, we examine a pair of sophisticated data breaches that have impacted millions of individuals.
Healthcare data breach affects the Sunshine State
What We Know: Broward Health, a network of more than 30 healthcare facilities in South Florida, recently announced that hackers compromised their computer systems. The cybercriminals may have accessed the sensitive personal and financial information of more than 1.3 million individuals. This included Social Security numbers and bank account information. According to the breach notice, hackers infiltrated Broward’s computer systems through a “third-party medical provider” that has yet to be publicly identified. Healthcare providers are an attractive target for hackers because they maintain large quantities of personal data on each patient.
Recommendation: While the data breach notice says “there is no evidence the information was actually misused by the intruder,” we strongly recommend that all Broward Health patients monitor their account statements and credit reports for fraudulent activity. They should also look for any suspicious messages as ways to air on the side of caution.
Millions caught up in appointment booking data breach
What We Know: The popular online booking and scheduling software FlexBooker recently experienced a data breach in which hackers compromised 10 million lines of customer information including names, emails, phone numbers, photos, driver’s licenses, hashed passwords and other IDs. In total, it is estimated that the data breach impacted more than 3.7 million users. Fortunately, it is not believed that credit and payment card information was not among the stolen data.
Recommendation: FlexBooker has advised users to monitor their account statements and credit reports for suspicious activity. We also recommend that users immediately change their passwords. In addition, implement multi-factor authentication for any account that offers it.
Data privacy protection requires concierge support
BlackCloak members whose information has been compromised as part of the Flexbooker breach or have received the data breach notification from Broward Health should immediately contact our Concierge Support team for further analysis and direct assistance on next steps.
These two data breaches are prime examples of how cybercriminals work aggressively to capture sensitive information that can be exploited for financial gain.
