On January 10, 2023, Maternal & Family Health Services, Inc. (“MFHS”) filed notice of a data breach with various state attorney general offices after learning that the organization had been the recent target of a ransomware attack. Based on MFHS’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, passport information, Social Security numbers, financial account information, medical information and health insurance information. After confirming that consumer data was leaked, MFHS began sending out data breach notification letters to the 461,070 individuals who were impacted by the recent data security incident. The Maternal & Family Health Services data breach affected the personal information of almost half a million people, making it one of the largest data breaches in months.
When you provided Maternal & Family Health Services with your information, you trusted the organization to respect your privacy. However, the recent data breach may call the organization’s commitment to data security into question. Organizations that store consumer information are the first and last lines of defense when it comes to preventing a data breach. And as we’ve discussed in previous posts, cybercriminals carry out these data breaches in hopes of obtaining consumers’ personal information, which they can then use to commit identity theft and other frauds. If you receive a “Notice of Data Security Incident” from Maternal & Family Health Services, it is imperative that you take the letter seriously. While the risk of identity theft is real, there are steps you can take to reduce those risks. And, if the ongoing investigation into the Maternal & Family Health Services breach reveals that the organization was negligent in how it handled your information, you might be entitled to financial compensation through a data breach lawsuit.
What We Know So Far About the Maternal & Family Health Services Breach
The available information regarding the Maternal & Family Health Services breach comes from the company’s filing with the Attorneys General of Maine and Montana. According to these sources, on around April 4, 2022, MFHS learned that it had been targeted in a ransomware attack. While MFHS did not elaborate on how it made this discovery, in response, the organization launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party forensics in hopes of learning more about the incident and whether any consumer data was leaked as a result.
The MFHS investigation confirmed that ransomware attackers were able to access the MFHS network; however, the exact date the unauthorized access began couldn’t be determined. Thus, MFHS believes that the period of unauthorized access began sometime between August 21, 2021 and April 4, 2022. It was also revealed that some of the files that were subject to unauthorized access contained confidential information belonging to certain individuals.
Upon discovering that sensitive consumer data was made available to an unauthorized party, Maternal & Family Health Services 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, address, date of birth, driver’s license number, passport information, Social Security number, financial account information, medical information and health insurance information.
On January 10, 2023, Maternal & Family Health Services sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident. According to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, the MFHS data breach affected more than 460,000 individuals.
More Information About Maternal & Family Health Services, Inc.
Founded in 1971, Maternal & Family Health Services, Inc. is a non-profit health and human service agency based out of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. The organization focuses on providing programming that improves the quality of life for women, children, and families throughout 17 counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Currently, MFHS serves the needs of over 90,000 women, men, and children. Maternal & Family Health Services employs more than 116 people and generates approximately $14 million in annual revenue.
