An unauthorized third party gained access to some computers at Manchester (Conn.) Ophthalmology and attempted to encrypt information with ransomware.
Manchester Ophthalmology is now notifying 6,846 patients that some of their information could not be restored following the incident, as it was not backed up. Patient information that was compromised included names, patient-created medical histories and information about care they received at Manchester Ophthalmology. No information was downloaded or accessed during the incident.
In November, an employee at the center became aware of suspicious activity on the computer network. After contacting a third-party technology firm to investigate, Manchester Ophthalmology determined that an unauthorized individual had gained access to some of its computers between Nov. 22-25, 2019, and tried to install ransomware.
"Upon learning of this incident, Manchester immediately moved to confirm that personal information was not exposed in this incident, to identify the potentially affected individuals, to put in place resources to assist potentially affected individuals, and to provide them with notice of this incident. Manchester is also taking steps to prevent a similar event from occurring in the future. This includes providing additional training to its workforce on existing policies and procedures that address the proper computer system back-up of all information," said Manchester Ophthalmology in a news release.