Cancer treatment center City of Hope breached, 827K people exposed

Cancer treatment and research organization the City of Hope has reported a data breach affecting 827,149 individuals, with their names, Social Security numbers, and medical records leaked.

According to the announcement, the City of Hope became aware of suspicious activity on a subset of its systems on or about October 13th, 2023. Its team immediately instituted mitigation measures to minimize any disruption to its operations.

However, during the incident, an unauthorized malicious actor gained access to some of City of Hope’s systems and copied files containing sensitive personal information.

“While the investigation remains ongoing, the impacted personal information identified thus far varies by individual but may have included name, contact information (e.g., email address, phone number), date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license or other government identification, financial details (e.g., bank account number and/or credit card details), health insurance information, medical records and information about medical history and/or associated conditions, and/or unique identifiers to associate individuals with City of Hope (e.g., medical record number).”

The City of Hope is a world-renowned pioneer in cancer research, treatment, and prevention. The organization has centers in California, Arizona, Illinois, and Georgia and a staff of more than 11,000.

The data breach notification filed with the Maine Attorney General’s office reveals that 827,149 persons were affected.

The City of Hope has launched a comprehensive investigation, identified individuals affected, reported the incident to law enforcement, and notified regulatory bodies. The organization offers two years of complimentary credit monitoring services to those affected and encourages them to remain vigilant in protecting against potential fraud and identity theft attempts.