Your company’s data has been hacked. So what will your lawyers do?
You can’t sue the hackers because they’re long gone. Unfortunately, your company remains responsible. This means your lawyers will not file a lawsuit. Instead they will defend against one, two or three…
Sued for hacker attacks
It is a problem that is becoming more and more common. Companies are hacked and then sued for hacking attacks. It’s happening again in Massachusetts.
Weeks after a phishing attack on the healthcare provider, patients filed a class action lawsuit against Baystate Health. Baystate has notified approximately 12,000 patients of a possible breach of their data. The hackers compromised employees’ email accounts, which contained information about demographics, diagnoses, Medicare and Social Security numbers.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs accuse the defendant of not informing patients in a timely manner. Their complaint states that personal information was exposed, but does not allege any actual harm from the hack. According to reports, it wasn’t the first time Baystate suffered a data breach. In 2016, the company reported a similar incident in which five employees were deceived by malicious emails disguised as internal memos
Biometric privacy
Medical service providers such as law firms are prime targets for cyberattacks because they have a wealth of personal information. It is also a source of increasing liability for companies that retain such information. In Illinois, the state Supreme Court ruled this year that individuals can sue organizations that violate the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act. This is unique because the law allows plaintiffs to proceed without alleging actual damages.
According to a 2016 survey, more than 16 million Americans have been victims of identity fraud. That was four million more victims than were identified in 2012. Social Security numbers were stolen more often than credit card numbers, Javelin Strategy & Research reported.
Bayside, meanwhile, has taken action following the latest breach. It offered all patients free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for a year.
