University of Massachusetts

[Update1]UMass Amherst Health Service Breach Exposes PHI of 942 Individuals

Submitted by Adam Dodge on Wed, 2011-03-09 18:20

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Abstract
The University of Massachusetts Amherst began notifying individuals on March 7 after an investigation concluded a breach placed protected health information at risk. The breach, which involved a malware infection on a workstation that could have allowed unauthorized access, involved the names, insurance information, medical record numbers, medication information, physician information, pharmacist information and prescription history of 942 UMass Amherst Health Center patients. UMass staff became aware of the breach on October 28, 2010 and launched an investigation that was finished on Feb 1, 2011. The investigation discovered that the breach initially occurred on June 30, 2010. When asked about the 60 day notification requirement, the university believes it is in compliance since the notification was made less than 60 days after the investigation was concluded. A UMass spokesperson said the university feels the best process is to advise individuals to monitor their accounts and credit reports for unauthorized activity and will not offer free credit protection. Internally, UMass has implemented several steps to help increase security including installing automated software to detect unauthorized activity, increased staff training and will improve the identification of personal information on departmental computers.

Update1
For more information, here is a link to the UMass Press Release.

UMass Notifies Patients After Infection May Have Exposed University Health Services Records

Submitted by Adam Dodge on Mon, 2011-03-07 05:40

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Abstract
The University of Massachusetts recently notified individuals after staff discovered malware on a computer containing protected health information. The computer, used in UMass's University Health Services, contained the names, health insurance company and medical record numbers on 942 UHS patients. In addition, the computer contained the prescription information, including medication, pharmacist, quantity, length of prescription and physician between Jan 2009 and Nov 2009 for these patients. The computer was originally infected in June 2010 and was corrected by the end of Oct 2010. A follow up investigation did not find any evidence that the protected health information was copied. In the letter, UMass officials advise affected individuals to monitor their health insurance information for any unusual activity but believes the likelihood of problems to be very low. UMass has responded to the incident by increasing training of UHS staff, installing automated software to discover malware infections and increasing efforts to discover protected information on desktops and workstations.

UMass Computer Breach Exposes 20 Years Of Personal Data

Submitted by Adam Dodge on Fri, 2009-08-21 21:04

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Abstract
The University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced the breach of a computer containing 20 years worth of student information. The breach, which occurred between September 15 and October 27 oflast year, involved a single sever contain the names, Social Security numbers and a limited amount of credit card information on students that attended UMass between 1982 and 2002. While the university is not releasing the exact number affected, the breach does affect a large number of former graduate and undergraduate students. According to the university, while UMass was aware of the incident last fall, notification was delayed to allow for a full investigation. The university has placed a notice on its web site - www.umass.edu/computerintrusion/legal.html - with more information for those affected by the incident.

Police Allege Former IT Admin Stole Nude Facebook Pictures

Submitted by Adam Dodge on Tue, 2009-03-03 06:27

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A former University of Massachusetts IT administrator is facing charges that he illegally accessed 16 student Facebook accounts and stole nude photos. Robert J DeCampos Jr faces 13 misdemeanor counts of unauthorized computer access and one felony count of larceny. According to court documents, DeCampos used student email accounts to gain access to the Facebook accounts where he was able to download the nude photos these accounts contained. DeCampos was fired by the university on October 20, four days after the discovery of the alleged computer trespass.

UMass Amherst Health Services Computer Server Breached

Submitted by Adam Dodge on Tue, 2008-04-22 17:23

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Abstract
University of Massachusetts, Amherst officials are investigating the breach of a computer server in the university's University Health Services department. The breach by an unknown individual occurred April 11th. According to officials, most patient files are kept on paper, but some patient information was available on the server and the 150 computers in UHS. The university shutdown the UHS network and all UHS computers once the breach was discovered. According to a note on the main UHS web site - www.umass.edu/uhs - about 90 machines have been turned back on and the rest are expected to be operational within one week. Campus officials say it will be weeks before the university is able to determine what, if any, information was compromised but that the university is also looking at the security of all campus systems to help avoid future problems.

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