Ransomware Hackers Find New Target in Suncoast Skin Solutions

Suncoast Skin Solutions has suddenly found itself on a rapidly growing list: companies hit by ransomware attacks. It's a surprisingly easy list to make it onto. In today's day and age, hacks and ransomware attacks are becoming more common. Unfortunately, while the rise of the internet has created many beautiful things, it has fathered many evil things, as well, the dark web being one of these. Countless people have decided that learning the tactics and methods to hack someone and steal their information and/or identity is better than settling down and getting a regular job. This has resulted in billions of innocent people falling victim to phishing scams, internal system hacks, and ransomware hits.

How Did the Attack Occur?

The attack occurred when a third party encrypted Suncoast's internal systems on July 14th, 2021. As soon as Suncoast found the compromise, it quickly took steps to ensure that only some of its systems were encrypted. The investigation ended on October 14th, 2021, and the system review (to find what patients and how much of their details were affected) concluded on November 8th, 2021.

What Information Was Viewed or Stolen?

The breach involved the names, birthdays, doctor's notes, clinical information, social security numbers, and certain other medical information belonging to the patients. "At this time, Suncoast has no reason to believe that any personal information of Suncoast's patients has been misused as a result of this incident," read the company's notice. "Out of an abundance of caution, Suncoast notified the patients potentially impacted by the incident."

How Did Suncoast Admit to the Breach?

Suncoast admitted to the breach by filing reports with multiple states' Attorney General's Offices. There is also a formal notice on the company's website, which offers certain details specific to the state. However, some people think it took too long for the company to do so. It had been over a year from the investigation's conclusion to the time the company admitted to the breach.

What Will Become of the Stolen Information?

The hacker will most likely sell the details stolen in this breach. The information gathered in this attack will sell for quite a lot when put on the dark web and could nicely cushion the perpetrator's bank account. It's sad to think that the world can reduce such vital parts of our lives (social security numbers, names, and birthdays) to a price of $60 to $80.

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

Following all data breaches of any type, we recommend investing in credit monitoring services. These will help alert you to unauthorized usage of your personally identifying information and keep you from falling victim to ransomware. There are also specific software titles that will alert you to unsafe or shady sites. It will notify you of the possibility of it being a scam and will ask you if you'd like to proceed. If you say no, it won't let you open the site.