Tampa General Hospital Discloses Data Breach Involving 1.2 Million Patients

Last week, Tampa General Hospital (TGH) in a public announcement disclosed a cybersecurity incident that compromised personal health information (PHI) of nearly 1.2 million patients.

The Florida-based private nonprofit healthcare facility servicing the western Florida and greater Tampa Bay region, is the region’s only university-level academic medical center.

TGH in its notice said that on May 31, it detected unusual activity on its computer system. The organization partnered with third-party cybersecurity experts to launch an investigation immediately.

In the notice, the organization also explained that its ‘’monitoring systems and experienced technology professionals effectively prevented encryption, which would have significantly interrupted the hospital’s ability to provide care for patients.’’

The investigation revealed that an unauthorized third-party attacker infiltrated TGH’s network between May 12- 30, 2023, and exfiltrated certain files from its network system.

The files are said to contain sensitive personal information of around 1.2 million patients. The data which varied by individual is said to contain the names, phone numbers, addresses, Social Security Numbers, date of birth, medical record and patient account numbers, health insurance information, dates of service and limited treatment information used for business operations. The organization clarified that the hackers had not accessed its electronic medical record system.

Details about the threat actor and attack technique remains unknown. However, TGH has already implemented containment measures to prevent any further damage to its network system. The healthcare facility has deployed additional security systems, including system monitoring to ensure such incidents do not occur in future.

Moreover, TGH has also notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about the data breach. It has also announced that in addition to notifying the affected individuals, they would also be offered free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

The attack on TGH comes after a recent spate of attacks witnessed on healthcare facilities around the world. For instance, the July 2023 HCA Healthcare data breach incident that impacted nearly 11 million patients.