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Indiana Medicaid data breach may affect an “undisclosed” number of patients

Medicaid was started in the U.S to help families and individuals who struggle to pay for medical care. The social healthcare program is run by the government and provides financially limited people with free health insurance.

As we know, organisations like this are just as vulnerable as others to data breaches, data leaks, and cyber hacks.

In this instance, patient data was reportedly accidentally made live through a hyperlink (internet web link). The hyperlink was publicly accessible, meaning anyone who clicked on it could see the medical information contained on it.
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2017: The year of the healthcare data breaches!

Health data breaches have seen an unprecedented rise in recent times. Overwhelmed and untrained healthcare administrators appear to be making simple errors in some cases, and as a result, millions of people are at risk of their personal information being released.

On top of this, cyber criminals are targeting hospitals, GP practices and University health research facilities to steal and hold medical data for ransom. In the ever-advancing digital world, our cyber security measures are failing to keep up, and it seems like the healthcare sector still remains way off the mark.
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Morrisons fined £10,500 for breaching data privacy rights

The 4^th largest supermarket chain in the U.K. has been fined by the Information Commissioner’s Office (‘ICO’) for breaking data protection laws in regards to how personal information is being used when sending marketing emails.

The ICO undertook an investigation into the supermarket chain after allegations were made by an individual that WM Morrison Supermarkets PLC (‘Morrisons’) were sending emails that customers had previously opted out of.

The Commissioner wrote to Morrisons on 28^th November 2016 notifying them of the complaint made against them.
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AA fails to notify their customers of data breach

Further to the AA data breach that occurred on 22^nd April 2017, there’s been further backlash as AA reportedly failed to notify customers of the breach.

The personal information that was breached related to customers of the AA’s online shop, operated by a third party, which sells maps, car accessories and other products to retailers and individuals.

Due to a server malfunction, personal data stored on two database backup files was accessible to the public.
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Growth in settlements for data breaches

Data protection laws around the world have allowed victims of serious data breaches to claim the compensation they rightfully deserve. As the number of data breaches seems to continually be on the rise, we’re seeing some huge settlements for breaches amongst cases where data has potentially been exposed forever.

The growth in data breach settlements may well continue to rise as well unless organsations get the vital grip they need on securing their servers and protecting the data they hold.
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Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust who shared 1.6million patient information in a clinical tech trial escapes fine from the ICO

Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust who shared the data of 1.6 million patients has escaped a fine from the UK’s information watchdog… The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

The Trust has instead signed an undertaking with the ICO to take certain action in order to ensure data protection rules are complied with in future. The Trust were reportedly using Google DeepMind on a clinical trial when the personal information of 1.6 million patients was shared as part of the clinical trials projects.
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Inquiry launched over University of East Anglia data leak blunder

The University of East Anglia (UEA) are facing an investigation over the shocking data breach that saw a number of students have their personal circumstances emailed directly to hundreds of fellow course mates.

The document listed extenuating circumstances of a number of students explaining why certain students were authorised to have an extension on assignments, postpone exams and take time off their course.

Some of the reasons included death or a family member, personal medical and mental health issues, and even sexual assault.
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Healthcare sector takes the number one spot for the sector with the most data breaches in the U.K.

Some might wonder why banking isn’t at the top. Surely, that’s where the big bucks are at?

But if you’ve been keeping up with our blogs, you’ll know that healthcare is not only a bigger target, but also one that can be easier for breaches to occur. It’s no secret that our National Health Service is struggling under immense pressure with increased patient numbers, continual budgets cuts, and “overworked and underpaid” staff.

With these financial struggles comes the inability to afford top quality cyber security and updated operating systems; leaving the healthcare system wide open to breaches and attacks.
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FTC prove that cyber-hackers can access and use breached data within 9 minutes of it being posted

I’m sure many are curious to find out where and how their data is used after hackers gain access to their information. According to a recent study, hackers are reportedly able to use leaked data within 9 minutes of it being posted.

Mr Salsburg, chief counsel and acting chief of research and investigation project at the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), reiterated the mysteriousness of what happens to data when it’s publicised:

“…there’s a real mystery of what happens to consumer data when it becomes public.”

But the dangers of how quickly it can be used are evident.
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OneLogin’s data breach – Just how serious was it?

There’s a big demand for cyber security globally as the rise of the digital age continues to pave the way for data breaches, leaks and hacks on an almost continual basis.

Yet despite the rise in cyber security that goes hand in hand with the rise of cybercrime, it seems multiple companies and organisations are still failing in their obligations to protect data securely. In recent news, one of San Francisco Bay area’s most established companies has been hacked, potentially affecting thousands worldwide.
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