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Okayama Prefectural Mental Health Care Center: Possible Data Breach Affecting Nearly 40,000 Patients Due to Cyberattack
- Writing language: Korean
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Base country: Japan
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Summarized by durumis AI
- A cyberattack on Okayama Prefectural Mental Health Care Center may have resulted in the potential exposure of personal information of up to 40,000 patients, including their names, addresses, dates of birth, and diagnoses.
- The hospital reported that a ransomware attack caused system malfunctions. While the actual data breach is yet to be confirmed, the hospital is collaborating with external experts to investigate the root cause and determine the extent of the breach.
- The hospital intends to apologize to individuals potentially affected and explain the situation. They are also filing a police report and implementing countermeasures, such as regular information system security audits and data encryption.
Okayama Prefectural Mental Health Medical Center announced that its information system was the target of a cyberattack, potentially exposing personal information of up to 40,000 patients. The prefectural mental health medical center in Kita Ward, Okayama City, was unable to access electronic charts after its information system was attacked on May 19. According to the hospital, the cyberattack was caused by "ransomware," a type of computer virus that encrypts data and demands a ransom. Newly revealed is the potential leakage of personal information such as patients' names, addresses, dates of birth, diagnoses, and treatment policy-related data. The leaked personal information could amount to approximately 40,000 individuals. While no damage due to the misuse of information has been confirmed so far, the hospital plans to apologize and explain the situation to those potentially affected by the leak. Additionally, the hospital will file a report to the police and implement countermeasures such as conducting regular security audits of the hospital's information systems and encrypting information. Rioji Yamada, President of Okayama Prefectural Mental Health Medical Center, said in a press conference, "We deeply apologize for causing concern and inconvenience with this incident."
Since the system failure occurred on May 19, the hospital has been using paper charts to maintain the patient's treatment system while working on system recovery. While personal information leaks have not been confirmed, the hospital is collaborating with external experts to conduct a thorough analysis of the cause and investigate potential leaks. Ransomware attacks have been increasing in Japan recently, particularly targeting healthcare institutions. As medical information contains sensitive personal data, the impact of ransomware attacks can be severe for patients. This incident highlights the growing importance of strengthening cybersecurity in healthcare institutions.
