On August 11, 2023, Tift Regional Health System, Inc. filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Maine after discovering that an unauthorized party was able to access its computer network for a period of six days. In this notice, Tift explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and medical information. Upon completing its investigation, Tift 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 Tift Regional Health System, Inc., it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. Healthcare providers, more so than any other type of organization, have experienced a tremendous number of data breaches in 2023. In total, cyberattacks against healthcare organizations have affected millions of Americans this year alone. 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 Tift Regional Health System data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Tift Regional Health System Breach?

The Tift Regional Health System data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Tift’s filing with the Attorney General of Maine provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on August 16, 2022, Tift detected suspicious activity within its computer network. In response, enlisted the help of third-party cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident.

The Tift investigation confirmed that certain files on its computer system were accessible to an unauthorized party between August 11, 2022 and August 17, 2022. Subsequently, Tift Regional Health System determined that some of these files contained confidential information that had been entrusted to Tift.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Tift Regional Health System 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 name, date of birth, Social Security number, and medical information.

On August 11, 2023, Tift Regional Health System 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 Tift Regional Health System, Inc.

Founded in 1982 and owned by Southwell, Inc., Tift Regional Health System, Inc. is a not-for-profit hospital system based in Tifton, Georgia. Tift is a 181-bed hospital that provides patients with a range of services, including surgery, oncology, cardiovascular care, women’s health, neurodiagnostics, geriatric psychiatric care, radiology and more. Tift Regional Health System employs more than 2,600 people and generates approximately $382 million in annual revenue.