The personal information of two million patients was compromised by a cyberattack that targeted Integris Health, the largest not-for-profit health network in Oklahoma.

Integris Health verified the breach on November 28, 2023, through a data privacy notice posted on its website. Following the attack, many extortion emails have been sent to patients threatening to sell their stolen data to other threat actors. Inside the emails is a link to a dark web page, where the stolen data, including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, information about hospital visits, and more, is presently listed for about 4,674,000 people. The site offers users the choice of paying $3 to view their data or $50 to have it deleted.

The hackers who claimed responsibility for the cyberattack started sending the extortion emails to patients on December 24. The emails claim that the stolen information includes dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, insurance information, and employment details. The hackers are threatening to sell the stolen data of those who do not pay the $50 deletion fee by January 5, 2024.

It is noteworthy that the strategies utilized in this cyberattack on Integris Health are comparable to those used in the attack on Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Fred Hutch), where patients were subjected to comparable extortion emails. Since a dark web portal is used in both incidents to delete data, there is reason to believe that the same ransomware attack group may be responsible for both breaches.

In its data privacy notice, Integris Health advised patients not to reply to the hackers or follow any instructions found in the extortion emails. A PDF containing frequently asked questions about the incident can be found at the bottom of the page.

Affected patients are asked to stay alert and take the required safety measures to reduce risks related to the compromised data while the cyberattack investigation is ongoing. We strongly advise anyone who receives such communications NOT to respond or contact the sender, click on any links or downloads, or follow any included instructions.

Protecting Your Identity and Personal Info

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Why not give it a go today? As always, we hope this article has been an interesting and/or useful read. If so, please do SHARE it with family and friends to help keep the online community secure and informed — and consider leaving a like or comment below.