Liberty Hospital
Your Personal Info Could Be
Exposed Online After
This Hospital Breach
Breach Description
Liberty Hospital in Missouri experienced a data breach in December 2023, where an unauthorized party accessed its network between December 18 and 19. The personal information that may have been accessed includes names, medical information, treatment information, and demographic information such as contact information and date of birth[1][5].
In response to the breach, Liberty Hospital took immediate action by shutting down its network and launching an investigation with the help of third-party forensic specialists[1]. The hospital also reported the situation to law enforcement and increased the security of its network to prevent future breaches[5]. Additionally, Liberty Hospital began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the security incident on February 8, 2024[1].
Specific details about the breach include the fact that the hospital had to divert patients to other hospitals, recommend new patients seek emergency care at other healthcare facilities, and rely on paper charts due to the computer network being taken offline[2]. The hospital also faced challenges in patient care, with some records being lost or having multiple versions of a diagnosis[2].
The exact number of people affected by the breach has not been disclosed in the provided search results. However, given the scale of the hospital’s operations, with more than 1,900 employees and a network of 22 urgent care centers, primary care providers, physical therapy centers, specialty clinics, and breast cancer centers, the number could potentially be significant[1].
Liberty Hospital is a non-profit hospital located in Liberty, Missouri, and it generates approximately $121 million in annual revenue[1]. The breach is part of a larger trend of cyberattacks targeting healthcare facilities, with the cost of data breaches in healthcare reaching about $10.53 million per incident in 2023[2].
Citations:
- https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/liberty-hospital-notifies-patients-of-2081003/
- https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/news/cybersecurity-incident-forces-missouri-hospital-to-divert-patients/
- https://www.kctv5.com/2023/12/29/liberty-hospital-cybersecurity-issue-putting-patients-risk-nurse-says/
- https://fox4kc.com/news/computer-problems-continue-for-second-day-at-liberty-hospital/
- https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/liberty-hospital-says-personal-information-may-have-been-accessed-in-cybersecurity-incident-in-december
- https://www.kmbc.com/article/as-liberty-hospital-computer-issues-continue-cybersecurity-expert-says-hospitals-have-become-prime-targets/46213812
- https://www.scmagazine.com/brief/impact-of-cyberattack-at-missouri-hospital-persists
- https://fox4kc.com/news/some-liberty-hospital-patients-being-transferred-due-to-computer-problems/
- https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/liberty-hospital-announces-recent-7446855/
- https://www.databreaches.net/self-proclaimed-hackers-take-credit-for-computer-problems-at-liberty-hospital/
- https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2024/02/12/liberty-hospital-warns-of-breach-cyberattack.html
- https://therecord.media/liberty-hospital-missouri-cyberattack
- https://medriva.com/breaking-news/liberty-hospital-in-missouri-experiences-it-incident-potentially-compromising-patient-data/
- https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2024/01/25/how-ransomware-attacks-at-kansas-city-hospitals-threaten-your-privacy/
- https://fox4kc.com/health/liberty-hospital-confirms-cyberattack-led-to-computer-issues/
- https://bnnbreaking.com/breaking-news/health/liberty-hospital-cybersecurity-breach-patient-data-compromised