Personal Injury Law

Serious Data Security Breach at Health Net

By Jamie Sheller

Hundreds of thousands of patients have been affected by Health Net's loss of a portable disk drive that contained their personal information. However, many patients found out about the data security breach not from Health Net, but rather from watching t.v. news.

According to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, authorities learned of the security breach six months after the disc was lost. One Health Net patient says that he, his wife, and daughter are affected by the security breach, and they have never received any notification from Health Net. This patient is concerned that personal medical information about him and his family is potentially accessible by anybody.

AG Blumenthal believes that the disc may have been stolen, not lost, along with two laptop computers that were apparently stolen from Health Net's Shelton office. Though Health Net claims that the stolen information can't be accessed without special software, a security company independent report on the Health Net incident says that the data is easily accessible with common commercially available software. According the AG Blumenthal, Health Nt has intentionally downplayed this serious security breach that has left hundreds of thousands of people at risk for financial fraud and leaked medical information.

If you have been affected by the data security breach at Health Net, contact Sheller, P.C. to discuss your potential legal rights. Sheller lawyers are currently investigating this security breach to determine the potential for litigation. Sheller P.C. has a long history of successfully representing individuals and classes of individuals in a variety of matters, including security breaches.

Full post as published by Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer on December 11, 2009 (boomark / email).