Absolute Dental Services

Absolute Dental Services (ADS), a dental laboratory based in Durham, North Carolina, experienced a data security incident that was first identified on February 21, 2023, when suspicious activity was detected in one of their email accounts. ADS took immediate steps to secure the account and initiated an investigation with the help of independent digital forensics and incident response experts[1][2][4].

The investigation confirmed unauthorized access to the email account, and a vendor was engaged to conduct a comprehensive review of the contents. By June 2023, it was determined that the account contained personal or protected health information that may have been compromised. The types of information that could have been affected included dates of birth, dates of medical service, full face photos, physician or medical facility information, medical condition or treatment information, medical device identifiers, medical diagnosis information, DNA profiles, medical record numbers, and referrals[1][2][4].

ADS notified the relevant dental providers and worked to identify current address information for potentially impacted individuals to provide notification. On August 21, 2023, ADS sent out notifications to the individuals who might have been affected by the breach, providing them with information about the incident and steps they could take to protect their information. Additionally, ADS established a toll-free call center to answer questions and address concerns related to the incident[1][2].

The breach affected 10,037 patients of the dental practices supported by ADS. The company expressed deep regret for any inconvenience or concern caused by the incident and emphasized that the privacy and protection of personal and protected health information are top priorities[1][8].

Citations:

1. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/absolute-dental-services-notifies-patients-of-data-security-incident-301906990.html
2. https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/absolute-dental-services-notifies-patients-of-data-security-incident
3. https://www.bradenton.com
4. https://www.drbicuspid.com/dental-practice/legal-issues/article/15545662/dental-lab-ads-hit-by-cyberstrike
5. https://skillbridge.osd.mil/locations.htm
6. https://www.absolutedentalservices.com
7. https://www.sacbee.com
8. https://www.hipaajournal.com/amerita-confirms-219700-patients-affected-by-pharmerica-cyberattack/
9. https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-to-retire/18592
10. https://www.drbicuspid.com/dental-practice/legal-issues/article/15636513/henry-schein-hit-by-cybersecurity-incident
11. https://virginiamercury.com/2024/02/07/female-workers-sue-virginia-prison-agency-claiming-body-searches-discriminate-against-women/
12. https://www.databreaches.net/december-was-one-of-the-busiest-months-for-health-data-breach-disclosures/
13. https://www.hubspot.com/flywheel
14. https://securetrust.io/cybersecurity-insights/recent-attacks/hipaa-data-breach-report-august-2023/
15. https://www.hipaajournal.com/august-2023-healthcare-data-breach-report/