Medical Transcription Firm Perry Johnson & Associates Falls Victim to Major Cyberattack, Compromising Data of Nearly Nine Million Individuals
Early this year, US medical transcription company Perry Johnson & Associates (PJ&A) experienced a significant cyberattack resulting in the theft of highly sensitive personal and health data belonging to almost nine million individuals. PJ&A, which specializes in providing transcription services to healthcare organizations and physicians, disclosed the breach in a mandatory filing with the US Department of Health and Human Services.
According to TechCrunch, the breach, which began in March, has had a profound impact on over 8.95 million individuals, making it one of the worst medical-related data breaches in recent memory.
The stolen data includes personal information such as patient names, dates of birth, addresses, hospital account and medical record numbers, as well as diagnoses, dates, and times of service. Additionally, some Social Security numbers, insurance details, and clinical information were compromised. PJ&A has reassured its commitment to safeguarding information and promptly initiated the notification process upon discovering the breach.
The breach took place between March 27 and May 2, during which an unauthorized individual obtained copies of specific files from PJ&A’s systems. The company has engaged a cybersecurity vendor to investigate, contain the threat, and strengthen its systems against future breaches.
PJ&A emphasized that the breach did not compromise the systems or networks of its healthcare customers and did not include credit card information, bank account details, or login credentials. However, the stolen data included Social Security numbers, insurance particulars, and additional clinical details for some individuals.
The company has conducted a comprehensive review of the affected files and is reviewing its security measures, implementing additional technical safeguards, and intensifying monitoring efforts to prevent future breaches. Despite lack of evidence on the misuse of individuals’ information, impacted individuals have been encouraged to carefully review the notifications they receive and take protective measures if necessary.
PJ&A recognized the potential concerns stemming from the incident and outlined its commitment to preventing future breaches. They have collaborated with their customers to notify individuals whose information was identified during the review and have expressed deep regret over the situation.
Moving forward, the company is focused on strengthening its systems and enhancing its security measures to prevent any future breaches. It’s clear that the breach at PJ&A has had a significant impact and the company is working diligently to rectify the situation and protect data moving forward.
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