Alameda Health System

The California Office of the Attorney General disclosed a data breach at Alameda Health System on October 22, 2020, stemming from an incident on April 8, 2020. The breach involved unauthorized access to an employee’s email account, which potentially exposed sensitive personal information of individuals. Compromised data included names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and medical records, though the exact number of affected individuals remains unknown. The breach originated from a phishing or credential-compromise attack, granting attackers access to internal communications containing protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII). While no ransomware was reported, the exposure of employee and patient data including highly sensitive medical and financial details poses significant risks of identity theft, fraud, and regulatory penalties under laws like HIPAA. The incident underscores vulnerabilities in email security protocols and the critical need for robust access controls and employee cybersecurity training to prevent similar exploits. The breach’s delayed disclosure (over six months) further complicates mitigation efforts, leaving affected individuals exposed to prolonged risks without timely notification or protective measures.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-195465

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/alamedahealthsystem

"id": "ala259091725",
"linkid": "alamedahealthsystem",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "4/2020",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Unknown',
                        'industry': 'Healthcare',
                        'location': 'California, USA',
                        'name': 'Alameda Health System',
                        'type': 'Healthcare Provider'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Unauthorized Access (Employee Email Account)',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 'Unknown',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
                                                         'Birth Dates',
                                                         'Social Security '
                                                         'Numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (PII and PHI)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personal Information',
                                              'Medical Information']},
 'date_detected': '2020-04-08',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2020-10-22',
 'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
                'breach by Alameda Health System on October 22, 2020. The '
                'breach occurred on April 8, 2020, involving unauthorized '
                'access to an employee email account, potentially exposing '
                'personal information including names, birth dates, Social '
                'Security numbers, and medical information, but the number of '
                'affected individuals is unknown.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Names',
                                 'Birth Dates',
                                 'Social Security Numbers',
                                 'Medical Information'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (PII and Medical Data Exposed)',
            'systems_affected': ['Employee Email Account']},
 'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'Employee Email Account'},
 'references': [{'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulations_violated': ['Potential HIPAA Violation '
                                                    '(if PHI was exposed)'],
                           'regulatory_notifications': ['California Office of '
                                                        'the Attorney '
                                                        'General']},
 'title': 'Alameda Health System Data Breach (2020)',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}