Department of State Hospitals

The California Department of State Hospitals experienced a data breach in early 2021, where unauthorized access to sensitive information was detected on **February 25, 2021**, though the breach spanned from **November 6, 2020, to February 5, 2021**. The incident compromised the data of **1,415 patients and 617 employees**, exposing **COVID-19 test results and health-related details**. However, no **Social Security numbers or financial information** were accessed. The breach involved improper access to both **patient and employee records**, raising concerns over privacy violations and potential misuse of medical data. While the exact method of unauthorized access was not disclosed, the exposure of health information—even without financial identifiers—poses risks of identity profiling, targeted phishing, or reputational harm to the affected individuals and the institution. The department took steps to investigate and mitigate the breach, though the long-term consequences for those impacted remain uncertain.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-539211

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

"id": "cad034091825",
"linkid": "cadsh",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "11/2020",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 2032,
                        'industry': 'Healthcare',
                        'location': 'California, USA',
                        'name': 'California Department of State Hospitals',
                        'type': 'Government Agency'}],
 'customer_advisories': 'Affected individuals were likely notified as part of '
                        'regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA).',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 2032,
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Partial (health data, '
                                                        'no SSNs)',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'Moderate (health data, no '
                                        'SSNs/financial info)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['COVID-19 test results',
                                              'health information']},
 'date_detected': '2021-02-25',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2021-03-17',
 'description': 'The California Department of State Hospitals reported a data '
                'breach involving improper access to patient and employee '
                'data. The breach affected approximately 1,415 patients and '
                '617 employees, potentially exposing COVID-19 test results and '
                'health information but no Social Security numbers or '
                'financial information. The breach occurred over multiple '
                'dates between November 6, 2020, and February 5, 2021, and was '
                'identified on February 25, 2021.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['COVID-19 test results', 'health information'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'Low (no SSNs or financial data exposed)',
            'payment_information_risk': 'None'},
 'initial_access_broker': {'high_value_targets': ['patient health data',
                                                  'employee health data']},
 'references': [{'source': 'California Department of State Hospitals Breach '
                           'Notice'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public disclosure on March 17, 2021'},
 'title': 'California Department of State Hospitals Data Breach (2021)',
 'type': 'Data Breach (Unauthorized Access)'}