On August 18, 2023, the Illinois Department of Public Health filed a notice of data breach with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights after discovering that information belonging to certain residents was compromised. In this notice, IDPH explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access sensitive information belonging to 126,000 people. Upon completing its investigation, IDPH began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

If you received a data breach notification from the Illinois Department of Public Health, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the Illinois Department of Public Health data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Illinois Department of Public Health Breach?

The Illinois Department of Public Health data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. Currently, IDPH’s filing with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights provides limited information on what led up to the breach. And unfortunately, IDPH does not yet appear to have posted a data breach letter explaining the incident.

However, according to the notice filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, the incident involved a hacking / IT incident that targeted a network server. Although, at this point, it is unclear whether IDPH was the target or if hackers obtained the information through one of IDPH’s third-party vendors.

Regardless, after learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, the Illinois Department of Public Health reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. The specific data types that were leaked were not mentioned in IDPH’s recent filing. However, typically, only those organizations that experience a breach involving consumers’ protected health information must file notice with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

On August 18, 2023, the Illinois Department of Public Health sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.

More Information About Illinois Department of Public Health

First organized in 1877, the Illinois Department of Public Health is a division of the Illinois state government. IDPH is organized into 12 offices, each of which addresses a distinct area of public health. In total, IDPH oversees the administration of more than 200 programs related to the health and safety of Illinoisans and visitors to the state.