October experienced a 44.44 percent month-over-month increase in healthcare data breaches, resulting in 661,830 healthcare records exposed or stolen during the month.

That’s according to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights’ monthly report reported via HIPAA Journal. The department said that hospitals and other healthcare organizations reported 52 breaches to HHS during the month. Year-to-date, the total number of breached healthcare records stands at 38 million, affecting 11.64 percent of the population of the United States.

The three most notable breaches of the month, according to the report, were all a result of cyberattacks and hacking. These breaches include Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers (152,000 records exposed as a result of a ransomware attack); Kalispell Regional Healthcare (140,209 records thanks to a phishing effort); and the Methodist Hospitals (68,039 records also phishing).

There was also a breach at Texas Health Resources thanks to a mailing error, which involved a total of 82,577 records. This was reported as 15 separate breaches for each of its affected facilities.

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Here’s the full article: https://threatpost.com/threatlist-healthcare-breaches-spike-in-october/150677/