Kaiser Foundation Health Plan

On August 9, 2017, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan experienced a data breach when an employee inadvertently emailed a document containing **protected health information (PHI)** to an **unknown external address**. The incident was reported to the **California Office of the Attorney General** on August 31, 2017. The breach involved the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive patient data, though the exact number of affected individuals was not specified. The exposed information likely included **medical records, personal identifiers, or treatment details**, posing risks such as **identity theft, fraud, or reputational harm** to the impacted patients. As a healthcare provider, Kaiser’s breach underscores vulnerabilities in **internal data-handling protocols**, particularly in securing PHI against accidental leaks. The incident did not involve ransomware or a targeted cyber attack but stemmed from **human error**, highlighting the need for stricter email security measures and employee training to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Source: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-101536

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/kaiser-permanente

"id": "kai557091725",
"linkid": "kaiser-permanente",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "8/2017",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Unspecified',
                        'industry': 'Healthcare',
                        'location': 'California, USA',
                        'name': 'Kaiser Foundation Health Plan',
                        'type': 'Healthcare Provider'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Human Error (Misaddressed Email)',
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': True,
                 'number_of_records_exposed': 'Unspecified',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': True,
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Health Data)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': 'Protected Health Information '
                                             '(PHI)'},
 'date_detected': '2017-08-09',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2017-08-31',
 'description': 'The California Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
                'breach involving Kaiser Foundation Health Plan on August 31, '
                '2017. The breach occurred on August 9, 2017, when a document '
                'containing protected health information was inadvertently '
                'emailed to an unknown external address, affecting an '
                'unspecified number of individuals.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential (Healthcare Data Exposure)',
            'data_compromised': True,
            'identity_theft_risk': 'Potential (Protected Health Information)'},
 'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Human Error (Email Misdirection)'},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2017-08-31',
                 'source': 'California Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulations_violated': ['HIPAA (Potential)',
                                                    'California Data Breach '
                                                    'Notification Law'],
                           'regulatory_notifications': 'California Office of '
                                                       'the Attorney General'},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public Disclosure via California AG '
                                        'Office'},
 'title': 'Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Data Breach (2017)',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}