Baystate Health in Springfield, Massachusetts, announced a security breach that may have exposed the records of as many as 13,000 patients to hackers.
Hospital officials claimed the incident resulted from a “phishing” email sent to several employees, according to a release sent to local news outlet 22News. The hacked information may include names, dates of birth, medical information and health insurance identification numbers. Social security numbers and financial information were not accessed, according the Baystate.
“What we need to do and what we can do every day going forward, is train and retrain, and educate and reeducate our workforce,” Baystate spokesman Brendan Monahan told 22News. “So when one of these phishing attacks comes in, they know what it looks like, and they’re not tempted to click on it.”
The FBI is investigating the incident.
The security breach comes just months after Baystate announced it will lay off 300 of its 12,500 employees to address a budget shortfall off $75 million for 2017.
Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.