In the News
Data breaches at healthcare companies continue to devastate patient privacy. In Medical Weed Dispensary Exposes Health Data for Thousands, Tara Seals at ThreatPost discusses how a Canadian medical marijuana distributor was plagued by malicious activity leaving the health records of almost 35,000 individuals exposed. Seals explains that patient files were exposed for about a month and that those impacted have been contacted recently.
Our Take
The exposure of personal data relating to one’s healthcare is painfully violating. While many may not consider having random bits of personal information exposed crucial to their privacy and security, the majority of individuals do not want information about their medical conditions and medical history falling into unfamiliar and inappropriate hands. Doctors and other healthcare professionals are considered trustworthy, and data exposures of medical information threaten this delicate and crucial relationship. To keep your healthcare information private, it is essential that all individuals choose healthcare providers and distributors that prioritize patient privacy. Especially in an age where so much personal information is available online taking additional precautions to keep medical records safe is necessary.
Recommendations
How can you protect personal and healthcare information from exposure?
- Understand the risks of putting your personal information into the world, and only share what you have to
- Use safe password practices, and take advantage of Multi-factor Authentication where possible
- Minimize the number of accounts that have direct access to your bank account or card numbers
- Understand the legal rights and practices of companies that store your data
- Utilize additional security/privacy measures and settings on apps, accounts, and platforms whenever possible
- Stay up to date on recent data breaches and exposures to see if you have been impacted