Providence Health Assurance notification of a business associate’s security incident
PH TECH has informed Providence Health Assurance of a security incident involving member information.
What Happened
On June 16, 2023, PH TECH, a business associate who provides services that support customer service, enrollment and claims payment services for Providence Health Assurance Medicaid and Medicare Supplement Plans, notified Providence Health Assurance of a security incident. PH TECH notified Providence Health Assurance that their vendor, Progress MOVEit, a company that works on making sure electronic files are transferred securely, had a problem that could allow attackers to access their system and download files. When PH TECH learned about this, they immediately moved their system offline and began an investigation to figure out if their systems were affected. PH TECH hired a cybersecurity firm to help with the investigation and also informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
From the investigation, PH TECH found out that an unauthorized person used the Progress MOVEit’s software and that PH TECH data files were downloaded. The incident happened on May 30, 2023, and PH TECH found out on June 16, 2023, that data it protects for some of its customers had been affected.
Those customers were told the news that same day.
What Information Was Involved
Some personal information and some protected health information was accessed from things like enrollment, authorization, and claims files. The information varies from person to person and might include name, date of birth, Social Security number (SSN), address, member ID number, plan ID number, email address, authorization information, diagnosis code, procedure code, and claim information.
What We Are Doing
PH TECH did several things to address this incident. First, they disabled access to the platform. Then, they fixed the problem and rebuilt how people can access the platform to make sure no one else can get unauthorized access to files through the Progress MOVEit software.
PH TECH has also notified individuals that have been affected by this incident and are offering them free identity theft protection services through IDX.
What You Can Do
If you have been affected by this incident or want to figure out if you were, please contact IDX. Their representatives are aware of the incident and can answer your questions or concerns. If you have been affected, you can also sign up for free IDX services by using the same contact information.
The deadline to enroll is January 30, 2024.
Visit https://response.idx.us/PHTECH or call IDX at (888) 498-1602, TTY/TDD 711,
Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
Mom’s Meals informed Providence Health Assurance of a security incident involving member information.
What Happened
On July 10, 2023, PurFoods, doing business as Mom’s Meals, a business associate who provides meals to our Medicare members, notified Providence Health Assurance of a security incident. Mom’s Meals indicated that, upon identifying suspicious account behavior on February 22, 2023, they launched an investigation with the help of third-party specialists. The investigation determined that Mom’s Meals experienced a cyberattack between January 16, 2023, and February 22, 2023, which included the encryption of certain files in their network. Because the investigation, completed on July 10, 2023, identified the presence of tools that could be used for the unauthorized transfer of data, Mom’s Meals reported they could not rule out the possibility that data was taken from their system.
What Information Was Involved
The individuals whose information was involved included clients of Mom’s Meals who received one or more meal deliveries. The information that may have been in the files included name, contact information, member ID number, date of birth, a diagnosis of “unspecified illness”, and a description of the type of meal required, such as “low sodium.”
What We Are Doing
Mom’s Meals notified Federal law enforcement of this security incident and cooperated with the subsequent investigation. Mom’s Meals implemented additional steps to further strengthen their network security and are reviewing their existing policies and procedures to identify additional measures and safeguards.
In addition, notification letters to individuals whose data may be involved will be sent by U.S. Mail in the coming weeks. To help address concerns and restore confidence following this event, individuals affected will receive complimentary access to credit monitoring and identity restoration services. These services are being provided by Kroll, a trusted partner experienced in cybersecurity and identity restoration.
What You Can Do
Mom’s Meals notification letters will include enrollment instructions for the complimentary services they are providing, as well as information about steps individuals can take to help protect themselves against identity theft and fraud. Further, it is always a good idea to review credit reports for accuracy. Under U.S. law, individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228.
Protecting your information is important to us, and we apologize for any concern this event may cause. If you have been affected by this incident, please contact Kroll at (866) 676-4045, Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time, excluding U.S. holidays. You may also write to PurFoods, LLC at 3210 SE Corporate Woods Drive, Ankeny, IA 50021.