CarePartners, a home care service provider to Ontario's Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and an Ontario-based community health care agency, has become the victim of a cyber-attack by sophisticated fraudsters, according to a news release.
The cyber-attack breached CarePartners' computer system and as a result patient and employee information held in that system, including personal health and financial information, has been inappropriately accessed by the perpetrators.
Steps have been taken to prevent additional exposure and close vulnerabilities and a leading cyber security firm has been hired to contain and determine the extent of the breach. The Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner and law enforcement officials have also been contacted and engaged.
In addition, LHINs and CarePartners voluntarily suspended the online referral system's capacity to receive patient assignments from Ontario's LHINs until the breach is fully contained and vulnerabilities are fully closed.
Throughout this situation, patient care has not been compromised says the release.
"We continue to monitor any new information that becomes available throughout this active investigation. CarePartners will be providing ongoing credit monitoring for any individual whose personal data may have been breached."
Information regarding credit monitoring and answers to other questions can be found online at: Ontario LHINs or www.carepartners.ca, or by calling 1-844-337-7300.
