Equilibria Mental Health Services

In June, Equilibria Mental Health Services suffered a phishing attack that exposed sensitive data of at least 500 individuals in Philadelphia. The breach compromised mailing addresses, phone numbers, health insurance details, and self-reported mental health reasons—highly confidential information. The attack originated from a compromised email address, tricking patients into opening malicious documents and disclosing login credentials. Authorities are investigating, while Equilibria is reinforcing cybersecurity measures, including employee training and third-party threat response testing. Patients who interacted with the phishing email were advised to change passwords immediately to mitigate further risks. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in handling protected health information (PHI) and the critical need for robust anti-phishing defenses in healthcare sectors.

Source: https://www.fox29.com/news/500-people-philadelphia-impacted-data-breach-mental-health-services-company

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/equilibria-psychological-and-consultation-services

"id": "equ3670136090625",
"linkid": "equilibria-psychological-and-consultation-services",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '500+',
                        'industry': 'Mental Health Services',
                        'location': 'Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA',
                        'name': 'Equilibria Mental Health Services',
                        'type': 'Healthcare Provider'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Phishing (Compromised Email Address)',
 'customer_advisories': 'Public warning issued about phishing emails '
                        'purporting to be from Equilibria Mental Health '
                        'Services.',
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': True,
                 'number_of_records_exposed': '500+',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': True,
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Health and PII Data)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['PII (Personally Identifiable '
                                              'Information)',
                                              'PHI (Protected Health '
                                              'Information)']},
 'date_detected': '2024-06',
 'description': 'At least 500 people in Philadelphia were impacted by a data '
                'breach at Equilibria Mental Health Services in June 2024. The '
                'breach occurred due to a phishing attack that targeted '
                "sensitive information, including victims' addresses, phone "
                'numbers, health insurance details, and self-reported reasons '
                'for seeking mental health services. Some patients received '
                'phishing emails from a compromised address, tricking them '
                'into providing login credentials by instructing them to open '
                'a document. The company is investigating the breach and '
                'enhancing cybersecurity protocols, including employee '
                'training and third-party testing.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential Reputation Damage (Ongoing '
                                       'Investigation)',
            'data_compromised': ['Mailing Addresses',
                                 'Telephone Numbers',
                                 'Health Insurance Information',
                                 'Self-Reported Mental Health Reasons',
                                 'Email Login Credentials'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (Sensitive PII and Health Data '
                                   'Exposed)'},
 'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'Compromised Email Account '
                                          '(Phishing)',
                           'high_value_targets': ['Patient PII',
                                                  'Health Insurance Data']},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (Authorities and Company Investigating)',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Enhanced Employee Training',
                                                   'Third-Party Cybersecurity '
                                                   'Testing'],
                            'root_causes': ['Successful Phishing Attack',
                                            'Lack of Employee Awareness']},
 'recommendations': ['Avoid clicking links or opening attachments in '
                     'unsolicited emails.',
                     'Immediately change passwords if a phishing email is '
                     'interacted with.',
                     'Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for email '
                     'accounts.',
                     'Conduct regular phishing simulation training for '
                     'employees.'],
 'references': [{'source': 'Local News Report (Philadelphia)'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public Advisory to Delete Phishing '
                                        'Emails and Change Passwords if '
                                        'Compromised',
              'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
              'law_enforcement_notified': True,
              'remediation_measures': ['Employee Training on Phishing',
                                       'Third-Party Cybersecurity Testing'],
              'third_party_assistance': 'Under Evaluation (Planned Third-Party '
                                        'Testing)'},
 'stakeholder_advisories': 'Patients advised to delete phishing emails and '
                           'change passwords if compromised.',
 'title': 'Data Breach at Equilibria Mental Health Services via Phishing '
          'Attack',
 'type': ['Data Breach', 'Phishing Attack'],
 'vulnerability_exploited': 'Human Error (Social Engineering)'}