1.7 Million Oregon Health Users Lose Their Data to a PH Tech Breach

PH Tech is a specialized services company that works with health insurance companies providing some of their business and administrative services. The company employs 211 people and serves a variety of businesses throughout Oregon and other locations. Because this company manages insurance enrollment, various customer service tasks, and payment services, the organization handles a great deal of personal and medical data that could have been exposed during the latest data breach. 

How Did the Attack Occur?

PH Tech was breached on May 30, 2023, because it uses the MOVEit file transfer service. MOVEit was hit by a Zero-Day vulnerability that allowed hackers to access file databases attached to the program. When the C10P ransomware gang realized the vulnerability, it began hacking into hundreds of different companies to steal data and demand ransoms. PH Tech was one of the victims of the vulnerability, and it lost a substantial amount of customer data in the breach. After fully investigating the information losses, it's suspected that as many as 1.7 million people on the Oregon Health Plan suffered data losses from this breach. 

What Information Was Viewed or Stolen?

During this data breach, customers lost their Social Security numbers, member ID numbers, full names, birth dates, email addresses, procedure codes, authorization information, and their claim data. All of this combined information makes the victims easy targets, and with it, they could be hacked and lose a huge amount of data. If you were one of the victims of such a vast data loss, you should prepare to protect yourself. The data stolen will vary from person to person, but with such a substantial list of possible data losses, it's scary to think about all that could have been taken in the breach. 

How Did PH Tech Admit to the Breach?

PH Tech sent individual notices to everyone it believed was involved in these data breaches. The company also put up an official notice on its website on August 1, 2023. Between these two communications, the company informed most of the individuals involved that they were facing an information risk because of the breach. If you receive an individual notice, you should know that your data is at great risk, and you have to take steps to protect yourself. 

What Will Become of the Stolen Information?

The stolen data was originally meant to leverage a ransom from the company. If no ransom is paid by PH Tech, the data will be spread around the internet or it may be resold. It's possible the data will be used for identity theft attacks over time. We don't know for sure how the information will be used, though, we can only assume it will be treated like the other data stolen in the MOVEit hacks. 

What Should Affected Parties Do in the Aftermath of the Breach?

If you learn that your information was taken in this PH Tech data breach, you should take immediate steps to protect yourself. Begin by checking your credit. Follow up by investing in credit monitoring services or by putting a freeze on your credit for additional protection.