Notice of Data Breach
Anniston, Alabama – June 13, 2024 – Highland Health Systems is writing to inform you of a recent data security incident that may have resulted in an unauthorized access to some individuals’ sensitive personal information. This notice is intended to alert those individuals of the incident, provide additional details about the incident, steps we are taking in response, and resources available to help you protect against the potential misuse of your information.
What Happened? On July 3, 2023, Highland Health Systems detected unusual activity on our network. Upon discovery of this incident, Highland Health Systems immediately disconnected all access to the network and promptly engaged a specialized third-party cybersecurity firm to assist with securing the environment, as well as, to conduct a comprehensive forensic investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. During the forensic investigation, Highland Health Systems found evidence that some of our files were accessed by an unauthorized actor.
Based on these findings, Highland Health Systems began a lengthy and comprehensive review of affected systems, including performing data mining, to identify the specific individuals and the types of information that may have been compromised. This process was completed on May 24, 2024. On May 28, 2024, Highland Health Systems engaged a third-party notice vendor to assist with the mailings, call center, and provide identity theft protection services. Thereafter, Highland Health Systems worked to verify the information and addresses for mailing. Notice was sent out to identified individuals on June 13, 2024.
What Information Was Involved? The information impacted varied for each individual but included a combination of: Date of Birth, Social Security Number, Account Number, Payment Card Number, Payment Card PIN, Email Address and Password, Medical Information and Health Insurance Information; Tax ID; Routing Number; and Driver's License or State ID.
What We Are Doing? Since the discovery of the incident, Highland Health Systems moved quickly to investigate, respond, and confirm the security of their systems. Specifically, Highland Health Systems engaged a specialized cybersecurity firm and IT personnel to conduct a forensic investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. Additionally, Highland Health Systems took the following steps, including, but not limited to: disconnected all access to our network; changed administrative credentials; restored operations in a safe and secure mode, implemented security monitoring software, adopted new encryption technologies, deployed additional NIST-compliant technical safeguards, revised policies and procedures, retrained workforce members, and took steps and will continue to take steps to mitigate the risk of future harm
What You Can Do: We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review your account statements, and to monitor your credit reports for suspicious or unauthorized activity. Additionally, security experts suggest that you contact your financial institution and all major credit bureaus to inform them of such a breach and then take whatever steps are recommended to protect your interests, including the possible placement of a fraud alert on your credit file. Please review the enclosed Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information, to learn more about how to protect against the possibility of information misuse.
Other Important Information: We recognize that you may have question not addressed in this notice. If you have any questions or concerns, please call 1-888-901-3768 (toll free) Monday through Friday, during the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (excluding U.S. national holidays).
Highland Health Systems sincerely regrets any concern or inconvenience this matter may cause, and remains dedicated to ensuring the privacy and security of all information in our control.
Sincerely,
Mickey S. Turner, CEO
Highland Health Systems
Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information
You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, whether or not you suspect any unauthorized activity on your account. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. To order your free credit report, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com, or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228. You can also order your annual free credit report by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports) to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281.
You can place fraud alerts with the three credit bureaus by phone or online. A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures, including contacting you, before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts. For that reason, placing a fraud alert can protect you, but also may delay you when you seek to obtain credit. As of September 21, 2018, initial fraud alerts last for one year. Victims of identity theft can also get an extended fraud alert for seven years.
Monitoring: You should always remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by reviewing credit card account statements and by monitoring your credit report for suspicious or unusual activity.
Security Freeze: You have the right to place a security freeze on your credit report. A security freeze is intended to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. To place a security freeze on your credit report, you need to make a request to each consumer reporting agency. You may make that request by certified mail, overnight mail, regular stamped mail, or by following the instructions found at the websites listed below. The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are requesting a credit report for your spouse or a minor under the age of 16, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security number; (3) date of birth; (4) current address and any previous addresses for the past five years; and (5) any applicable incident report or complaint with a law enforcement agency or the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The request must also include a copy of a government-issued identification card and a copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue. As of September 21, 2018, it is free to place, lift, or remove a security freeze. You may also place a security freeze for children under the age of 16. You may obtain a free security freeze by contacting any one or more of the following national consumer reporting agencies:
File Police Report: You have the right to file or obtain a police report if you experience identity fraud. Please note that in order to file a crime report or incident report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide proof that you have been a victim. A police report is often required to dispute fraudulent items. You can generally report suspected incidents of identity theft to local law enforcement or to the Attorney General.
FTC and Attorneys General: You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself, by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338), TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement.
For residents of Iowa: State law advises you to report any suspected identity theft to law enforcement or to the Attorney General.
For residents of Massachusetts: It is required by state law that you are informed of your right to obtain a police report filed in regard to this incident. If you are the victim of identity theft, you also have the right to file a police report and obtain a copy of it.
For residents of New Mexico: State law advises you to review personal account statements and credit reports, as applicable, to detect errors resulting from the security breach. You have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from violators. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act at www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.
For residents of Oregon: State law advises you to report any suspected identity theft to law enforcement, including the Attorney General, and the Federal Trade Commission.
For residents of Rhode Island: It is required by state law that you are informed of your right to file or obtain a police report in regard to this incident.
For residents of Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island: You can obtain information from the Offices of the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission about fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps you can take toward preventing identity theft.