MINNEAPOLIS – According to the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, private health information of more than 600 veterans in Minnesota was obtained in a nationwide cyberattack.
The agency says documents containing information from 2,302 veterans across the country have been encrypted and possibly copied by a “malicious party.”
The documents were managed by the contracted medical transcription company DBP, Inc. and include some or all of the following information: full names, medical record information, and social security numbers.
The VA says DBP shut down the server, disconnected it from the Internet, purchased new hardware and instituted new security controls on the equipment in an effort to prevent future attacks. Federal officials are working with DBP to “ensure appropriate security measures are in place.”
According to the VA, 616 veterans were affected by the Minneapolis VA health care system. Veterans with VA health systems in Boston, Connecticut, Togus, Baltimore and Amarillo were also affected by the breach.
Affected veterans will receive a letter from the Veterans Health Administration detailing what information was at risk. Anyone with questions can call and leave a message at 1-844-838-5433.
