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North Shore hospital data breach may affect hundreds of thousands
A breach at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport may have affected over 300,000 people.
A hospital in Newburyport experienced a data security breach that potentially affected hundreds of thousands of people, the hospital said in a statement.
Anna Jaques Hospital said it first became aware of the “data security incident” on Dec. 25 2023 and took “immediate action” to protect individual’s personal information. The hospital said it conducted an investigation into the breach. On Nov. 5 2024, the investigation concluded an “unauthorized third party” accessed files containing patients’ private information, the hospital said.
A law firm investigating the Anna Jaques data breach said the security incident affected an estimated 316,342 people.
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The impacted information varied person to person, according to the hospital. However, Anna Jaques warned that information like demographics, medical information, health insurance information, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and financial information may have been breached.
“As a team of dedicated and caring professionals, Anna Jaques understands the importance of safeguarding individual personal information. Anna Jaques remains fully committed to maintaining the privacy of personal information in our possession,” the hospital said in the statement.
The hospital said there has been “no indication” of any fraud as a result of the breach. However, the statement said, it reached out to people to whose information may have been affected. Anna Jaques recommended both employees and patients “remain vigilant” in checking financial statements and health insurance statements.
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“Anna Jaques continually evaluates and modifies its practices to enhance the security and privacy of personal information and are taking measures to augment its existing cybersecurity,” the hospital said.
For more specified information, the hospital said to call their toll-free response line at 888-368-6717.
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