Hackers Accessed University of Hawaii Cancer Center Patient Data; They Weren’t Immediately Notified

Hackers accessed the University of Hawaii Cancer Center’s patient data, with Social Security numbers and other personal information from study participants exposed during the August breach. Four months later, UH had yet to notify those affected that their data had been stolen, and officials declined interviews or to reveal details such as which cancer research project was impacted or how many participants were affected.

The university outlined the ransomware attack in a December report to the Legislature, and it notes that UH discovered the breach in August and filed the report in December. The report says UH engaged with threat actors to obtain a decryption tool and to secure destruction of the information obtained, and UH is now working to notify study participants and offer credit monitoring.

In the meantime, UH has reset passwords, installed protection software with continual monitoring, rebuilt compromised systems and conducted a third‑party assessment of new security controls. The FBI discourages paying ransoms, a point echoed by security experts quoted in the article; however, some business owners may feel compelled to pay to restore operations. according to Associated Press