Many predicted that the ditching of paper medical records could come at a high price, and now that prediction has sadly come true for at least 4.5 million folks.
Hackers hit hospital computers, manned by Community Health Systems, stealing the sensitive medical information of millions and millions of people.
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CHS, which operates 226 hospitals across the United States, says hackers have broken into its computers and stolen critical data on 4.5 million patients, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, physical addresses, birthdays and phone numbers. Reports say the information that was stolen is definitely enough to mess with people’s identity, open bank accounts, etc. source
The hospital group’s security experts allege the hack came from within China and was very sophisticated. They also say there’s little anyone can do to protect themselves, except guard their personal data. The hospital operator says it will offer identity theft protection to the victims who were affected.