Around June 22, 2023, CoxHealth confirmed a recent data breach after learning that one of the company’s vendors, Intellihartx, LLC (“ITx”), experienced a data security incident involving the GoAnywhere managed file transfer software created by Fortra, LLC. Based on the company’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and protected health information. After confirming that consumer data was leaked, CoxHealth began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals who were impacted by the recent data security incident.
If you received a data breach notification from CoxHealth, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. However, keep in mind that the data breach letter may come from Intellihartx, as the breach did not involve the computer system of CoxHealth. It is imperative that potential victims do not ignore this letter, as it outlines important details about the breach. To learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft and what your legal options are in the wake of the CoxHealth data breach, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
What We Know So Far About the CoxHealth Breach
News of the CoxHealth data breach is still fresh; however, what we know at this point comes from various news reports that covered the incident. According to these sources, the CoxHealth data breach stems from a vulnerability in the GoAnywhere application that was used by ITx. While CoxHealth did not provide details about the incident, information about the Fortra / Intellihartx breach is available through a data breach letter issued by Intellihartx on behalf of another company.
Evidently, on February 2, 2023, ITx learned that Fortra had experienced a data security incident involving a zero-day vulnerability in its GoAnywhere managed file transfer software. In response, ITx launched an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the breach, as well as which of the company’s customers may have been affected.
On March 24, 2023, ITx completed its initial review of the data. However, soon after, Fortra provided ITx with additional information, prolonging the ITx investigation, which was ultimately completed on May 19, 2023. ITx eventually confirmed that the Fortra breach resulted in confidential information that had been entrusted to the company being subject to unauthorized access.
Upon discovering that sensitive consumer data was made available to an unauthorized party, CoxHealth began to review the affected files to determine what information was compromised and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, Social Security number, date of birth, address and protected health information.
In June 2023, CoxHealth sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.
More Information About CoxHealth
Founded in 1906, CoxHealth is a large healthcare system based out of Springfield, Missouri. CoxHealth operates six hospitals, five emergency rooms and more than 80 clinics in southwest Missouri. In 2022, all CoxHealth facilities handled 1,575,138 clinic visits and 352,340 emergency room, urgent care and trauma visits. CoxHealth employs more than 12,000 people and generates approximately $5.9 billion in annual revenue.
