Ascension Health, one of the largest hospital systems in the United States, has disclosed a data breach that compromised the personal and medical information of approximately 2.3 million patients. The breach was discovered in late March and involved unauthorized access to an employee email system.
Exposed data includes names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and medical record numbers. Ascension is offering two years of free identity monitoring services to affected individuals and has notified law enforcement.
Cybersecurity experts say the breach underscores the healthcare industry's ongoing vulnerability to sophisticated attacks and the need for stronger email security protocols.
