FORT WAYNE, Ind., Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Summit Medical
Associates ("Summit") provides notice of an incident that may
affect the security of some information relating to certain
patients affiliated with Summit.
What Happened? On or about June 5, 2020, Summit discovered that it was
unable to access certain data and records stored on its
server. Summit immediately launched an investigation, with the
assistance of third-party forensic computer experts, to determine
the nature and scope of the incident. It was determined that
certain information was encrypted by ransomware. Summit's
investigation determined there was potential unauthorized access to
its server between January 24, 2020
and June 5, 2020. Summit then
worked to identify its patients whose personal information may have
been accessible to the unauthorized actor. That process
concluded July 28, 2020.
What Information Was Involved? Summit has no
evidence the unauthorized actor actually accessed or acquired
personal information. The information potentially contained on
the server at issue may have included name, medical information,
and Social Security number.
What Summit is Doing. Summit takes this incident
and the security of personal information seriously. Upon
discovery Summit immediately took steps to ensure the security
of its systems and investigate the activity. Summit worked
diligently to investigate and respond to this incident and to
identify and notify potentially affected individuals. Summit
is also reviewing and enhancing existing policies and procedures
and will be reporting this to relevant state and federal
regulators, as required. Summit is notifying potentially
impacted individuals so that they may take further steps to best
protect their information, should they feel it is appropriate to do
so. Summit will also notify the Department of Health and Human
Services and other regulators of this incident as
required.
What You Can Do. You can review the enclosed
Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Personal Information. We
also encourage you to review your financial and account statements
and explanation of benefits forms and report all suspicious
activity to the institution that issued the record immediately.
For More Information. Summit has established a
dedicated assistance line for individuals seeking additional
information regarding this incident. Individuals may call
866-977-1033, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, EDT Monday
through Friday for additional information. Additional
information can also be found on Summit's website,
http://mysummitmedical.net/. Potentially affected individuals
may also consider the information and resources outlined below.
Summit encourages potentially impacted individuals to remain
vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud and to
review account statements, credit reports, and explanation of
benefits forms for suspicious activity. Under U.S. law,
individuals with credit reports are entitled to one free credit
report annually from each of the three major credit reporting
bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit
www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free,
1-877-322-8228. Individuals may also contact the three major
credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of their credit
report. The credit reporting agencies may be contacted as
follows:
Experian
PO Box
9554
Allen, TX
75013
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com
|
TransUnion
P.O. Box
2000
Chester, PA
19016
1-888-909-8872
www.transunion.com
|
Equifax
PO Box
105788
Atlanta, GA
30348-5788
1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com
|
You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud
alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect
yourself, by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the
Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.
The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover
that their information has been misused to file a complaint with
them. The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington,
DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT
(1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Instances of known or
suspected identity theft should be reported to law enforcement,
your Attorney General, and the FTC. You can also further educate
yourself about placing a fraud alert or security freeze on your
credit file by contacting the FTC or your state's Attorney
General.
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/summit-medical-associates-provides-notice-of-a-data-breach-301106161.html
SOURCE Summit Medical Associates