Patients at the Owen Sound Family Health Team may have had their personal information accessed by an “unauthorized third-party” in a cyber-security breach.
The local family health organization sent letters to patients in October informing them of a data breach that occurred on Monday, July 11.
Bayshore Broadcasting News reviewed copies of a couple of letters sent to patients. In them, the Owen Sound Family Health Team explains they “immediately engaged a team of cyber security experts to block unauthorized access and preserve as much data as possible” upon learning of the breach in the summer.
First and last names, date of birth, contact and health card information and health history are among the information that may have been accessed by the unauthorized third-party, the letters to patients say.
It goes on to say “at this time, we are not aware of any misuse of your information” and then offers advice to avoid falling victim to phishing attempts, identity theft or fraud through unsolicited emails or text messages.
In a release, the Owen Sound Family Health Team says it has notified authorities about the incident.
Any individuals whose information was stored on its system at the time of the incident may have been impacted, the Owen Sound Family Health Team says.
“This matter is of the utmost concern to the Owen Sound Family Health Organization and is being treated as our highest priority,” the family health team says in a prepared statement in response to a Bayshore Broadcasting News inquiry. ” We are committed to further improving our security and will continue to dedicate our efforts to prevent this from happening again in the future.”
