Security News > 2021 > December > Planned Parenthood LA discloses data breach after ransomware attack

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles has disclosed a data breach after suffering a ransomware attack in October that exposed the personal information of approximately 400,000 patients.

According to a data breach notification sent to Planned Parenthood Los Angeles patients, the cyberattack occurred between October 9th and 17th, allowing threat actors to steal files from the compromised network.

In a statement to the Washington Post, who first reported on the breach, PPLA spokesperson John Erickson said the stolen files contained the personal data of approximately 400,000 patients and was caused by a ransomware attack.

They then use the stolen data as leverage to scare victims into paying a ransom, or the data will be publicly released on a ransomware gang's data leak site.

As the stolen data is said to contain medical information, including the procedures undertaken at PPLA, the public release of the data could significantly impact affected patients.

If patients receive any emails claiming to be from PPLA and asking for sensitive information, they should immediately contact Planned Parenthood to see if the emails are legitimate.

News URL

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/planned-parenthood-la-discloses-data-breach-after-ransomware-attack/