Choice Physicians Network

The California Office of the Attorney General disclosed a data breach affecting Choice Physicians Network on September 5, 2023, with the incident occurring on April 23, 2023. Unauthorized actors gained access to and copied files containing sensitive personal information, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers (SSNs). While no financial account details were compromised, the exposure of SSNs poses a significant risk for identity theft and fraud. The breach’s scope remains unclear, as the number of affected individuals has not been disclosed.Given the nature of the stolen data personally identifiable information (PII) of patients the incident could lead to long-term repercussions, such as fraudulent account openings, medical identity theft, or targeted phishing attacks. The lack of financial data exposure does not mitigate the severity, as SSNs are high-value targets for cybercriminals. The breach underscores vulnerabilities in the network’s security controls, potentially eroding patient trust and inviting regulatory scrutiny under laws like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) or CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act). No ransomware involvement was reported, but the unauthorized data exfiltration alone constitutes a major privacy violation.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-572857

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/choice-medical-group

"id": "cho005091825",
"linkid": "choice-medical-group",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "4/2023",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Unknown',
                        'industry': 'Healthcare',
                        'location': 'California, USA',
                        'name': 'Choice Physicians Network',
                        'type': 'Healthcare Provider'}],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes (unauthorized copying of files)',
                 'number_of_records_exposed': 'Unknown',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['names',
                                                         'dates of birth',
                                                         'Social Security '
                                                         'numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personal Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)']},
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-09-05',
 'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
                'breach involving Choice Physicians Network on September 5, '
                '2023. The breach occurred on April 23, 2023, and involved '
                'unauthorized copying of files containing personal information '
                'such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, '
                'but not financial account information. The number of affected '
                'individuals is currently unknown.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['names',
                                 'dates of birth',
                                 'Social Security numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (PII exposed)',
            'payment_information_risk': 'None (financial account information '
                                        'not compromised)'},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2023-09-05',
                 'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'California Office of '
                                                       'the Attorney General'},
 'title': 'Data Breach at Choice Physicians Network',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}