Florida Healthcare Faces Alarming Surge in Cybersecurity Breaches
Tampa Bay Times
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Contributed by: Drex DeFord
Summary
Recent hacking incidents in Florida have exposed vulnerabilities in healthcare organizations, with DermCare Management and Apollo Medical Supply among those reporting breaches affecting over 4,000 patients. Since July 2023, 33 healthcare firms in the state have experienced data breaches, impacting more than 6.7 million patients. A notable case involved Tampa General Hospital, which faced a significant breach and settled a class action lawsuit for $6.7 million. In a different incident, Central Florida Cares Health System lost $3.6 million due to a cyber theft caused by an employee mistakenly entering banking credentials on a fraudulent site; while $1.9 million was recovered through insurance, the organization implemented stricter security protocols. Additionally, Thriving Mind South Florida reported similar risks to patient information security.
