SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UC San Diego Health recently experienced a security event involving unauthorized access to some employee email accounts. This notice provides up-to-date information on what happened and what we are doing.

What Happened?

UC San Diego Health recently identified and responded to a security matter involving unauthorized access to some employee email accounts. At no time was continuity of care for our patients affected by the event.

When UC San Diego Health discovered the issue, we terminated the unauthorized access to these accounts and enhanced our security controls. UC San Diego Health reported the event to the FBI and is working with external cybersecurity experts to investigate the event and determine what happened, what data was impacted, and to whom the data belonged. This process of analyzing the data in the email accounts is ongoing. UC San Diego Health is moving as quickly as possible while taking the care and time to deliver accurate information about which data was impacted. At this time, we are aware that these email accounts contained personal information associated with a subset of our patient, student, and employee community. We estimate this review will be complete in September.

There is no evidence that other UC San Diego Health systems were impacted, nor do we have any evidence at this time that the information has been misused.

What Information Was Involved?

While the investigation is ongoing, UC San Diego Health is notifying the community of what personal information may have been involved. Between December 2, 2020 and April 8, 2021, the following information may have been accessed or acquired: full name, address, date of birth, email, fax number, claims information (date and cost of health care services and claims identifiers), laboratory results, medical diagnosis and conditions, Medical Record Number and other medical identifiers, prescription information, treatment information, medical information, Social Security number, government identification number, payment card number or financial account number and security code, student ID number, and username and password.

What We Are Doing

UC San Diego Health is committed to safeguarding our community’s personal information. Once the forensic review has concluded, UC San Diego Health will send individual notices to those students, employees, and patients whose personal information was contained in the accounts, where current contact information is available. UC San Diego Health also will offer one year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Experian IdentityWorks to individuals whose data was impacted.

In addition to notifying individuals whose personal information may have been involved, UC San Diego Health has taken remediation measures, which have included, among other steps, changing employee credentials, disabling access points, and enhancing our security processes and procedures. While we have a number of safeguards in place to protect information from unauthorized access, we are also always working to strengthen them so we can stay ahead of this type of threat activity.


What You Can Do
It is always a good idea to remain alert to threats of identity theft or fraud. You can do this by regularly reviewing and monitoring your financial statements, credit reports, and Explanations of Benefits (EOBs) from your health insurers for any unauthorized activity. If you ever suspect that you are the victim of identity theft or fraud, you should contact the company that maintains the account on your behalf or your local police.


For more information:
UC San Diego Health expects to send notices to all individuals whose data was impacted by September 30, 2021. In the interim, UC San Diego Health has established a dedicated call center to answer questions. The call center is available toll free in the U.S. at 1-855-797-1160 from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT Monday through Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT Saturday and Sunday. A dedicated Experian representative on behalf of UC San Diego Health will be available to assist community members.


About UC San Diego Health:
UC San Diego Health, the region’s only academic health system, is dedicated to delivering outstanding patient care through commitment to community, groundbreaking research, and inspired teaching. Its specialty care for serious and complex conditions is consistently ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report and other organizations. The 808-bed academic health system includes UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest and Jacobs Medical Center, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, Moores Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Institute, Koman Family Outpatient Pavilion, and Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute, all in La Jolla, as well as primary care and same-day services at clinics throughout Southern California.