Texas hospital cyberattack exposes SSNs, medical data of 257,000 patients


The sensitive personal and medical data of more than 257,000 patients was exposed after a January data breach impacted Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital (NMH) in East Texas.

Key takeaways:

NMH says it first became aware of the unauthorized intrusion on January 31st, has since re-secured its systems, and began sending breach notifications to affected patients on March 31st.

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“On January 31st, 2026, NMH became aware of a data security incident because of a cyberattack in which an unauthorized party compromised NMH’s computer network and information systems,“ the letter states.

Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital breach notice
The Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital began sending out breach notices to 257,073 patients on March 31st, 2026. Image by Cybernews

According to the Office of the Maine Attorney General, the initial breach took place on January 15th, meaning the hackers had been inside the hospital's network for almost two weeks before being observed.

The regional medical center says it immediately notified authorities, initiated an incident response plan, and launched an investigation – determining the attackers had accessed a treasure trove of private patient information stored on its servers.

“We sincerely regret any concern or inconvenience that this matter may cause its patients and remain dedicated to protecting patients’ personal information,” the hospital said.

medical data breach 3
The attackers were in the system for about two weeks before the hospital became aware of the intrusion. Image by Guitar photographer | Shutterstock

What data was compromised?

Founded in 1928, the state-of-the-art, 226-bed acute care facility serves over 60,000 patients each year and is home to the region’s largest 24-hour emergency room and the only Level III (IAP) Trauma Center.

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NMH is owned by the Nacogdoches County Hospital District and operates across seven locations, including the Nacogdoches Memorial HealthCare First Clinics and the Cecil Bomar Rehabilitation Center.

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Total patient revenue for the hospital is listed at approximately $227.9 million.

NMH revealed the patient data at risk includes:

  • Patient’s name
  • Address and phone number
  • Email address
  • Social Security number
  • Date of birth
  • Medical record number
  • Medical account number
  • Health plan beneficiary number
  • Photographic image of the patient (possible)

The healthcare organization says it has no indication that anyone’s information has been misused so far. However, attackers often retain stolen data to craft targeted phishing attacks and commit identity theft, which may become apparent later on.

NMH has roughly 500 medical and support staff, but has not mentioned whether employee data was also affected.

It's also unknown whether the attack is ransomware-related, as no hacker group has claimed responsibility so far.

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NMH says it has reinforced and enhanced its network security, updated security procedures, and implemented additional security awareness training “to prevent a similar event from occurring in the future.”

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While the hospital is declining to offer free credit monitoring, according to the Maine Attorney General, it has established a toll-free phone and email hotline for patients with further questions or concerns.


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