A data breach at a large Texas dental and orthodontics practice may have compromised sensitive information on over 1 million patients.
Jefferson Dental and Orthodontics (JDC) announced that data on more than a million patients had been compromised in a data breach.
The company, which has 72 offices in Texas, announced that hackers had copied documents stored on its servers in the summer of 2021.
Around the same time, JDC discovered malware on its computers which prompted the company to contract a third-party cybersecurity firm to work on the issue.
The firm discovered the extent of the breach, which could affect up to 1,026,820 people in the state.
The investigation into the breach is ongoing, but JDC said that the data breach could contain clinical information, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, health insurance information, and financial information.
So far, JDC says there is no evidence the data has been misused, but it is encouraging patients who may have been affected to remain vigilant against identity theft and fraud incidents. The company recommends reviewing account statements and explanations of benefits and monitoring their free credit reports for suspicious activity or errors.
A law in Texas requires companies to report data breaches that affect 500 or more people to the Texas Attorney General, who publishes a list of all data breaches online.
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