On November 1, 2024, Kaiser Permanente filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of California after discovering that an unauthorized party was able to gain access to two employee email accounts. In this notice, Kaiser Permanente explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their first and last names, dates of birth, medical record numbers and medical information. Upon completing its investigation, Kaiser Permanente 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 Kaiser Permanente, 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 Kaiser Permanente data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
What Caused the Kaiser Permanente Data Breach?
The Kaiser Permanente data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Kaiser Permanente’s filing with the Attorney General of California provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on September 3, 2024, Kaiser Permanente learned that an unauthorized party had gained access to two employee email accounts. In response, Kaiser Permanente terminated the unauthorized access and then launched an investigation to learn more about the incident. Through this investigation, Kaiser Permanente confirmed that the compromised email accounts contained sensitive information belonging to certain individuals.
After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Kaiser Permanente reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your first and last name, date of birth, medical record number and medical information.
On November 1, 2024, Kaiser Permanente 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 Kaiser Permanente
Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente is a large, multi-state healthcare system based in Oakland, California. Kaiser Permanente operates facilities in eight states, including Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, and the District of Columbia. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan employs more than 222,311 people and generates approximately $101 billion in annual revenue.