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It's easy to understand why protecting personal details like passwords and credit card info is a priority. But when it comes to medical data, the risks aren't always as clear: why would hackers be interested in my diabetes diagnosis? Thanks to a recent report, we now have a better idea of what occurs when healthcare data is compromised.
The report reveals that hackers often sell stolen data on the dark web. Interestingly, the most sought-after health data isn't your medical history, but documents that facilitate other types of fraud, such as:
Documents that allow someone to impersonate a legitimate doctor or healthcare provider, like malpractice insurance records and medical licenses. (These documents typically sell for around $500.)
Health insurance cards, prescriptions, and drug labels, which can be used to fill prescriptions or forge ones that appear legitimate. With a fake insurance card, fraudsters could get insurance coverage for their own treatment. (These items range in price from $10 to $120.)
Logins to health insurance websites, which can provide additional information to complement the above documents. The objective is the same as with a forged insurance card: to access medical services at someone else's expense.
If your doctor's or hospital's data is breached, there's little you can do about it. However, this highlights how crucial it is for these organizations—and for you—to protect medical records.
For instance, while you would never send a photo of your credit card via email, you might not realize that an insurance card is equally sensitive and could cause major problems if someone used it to impersonate you. Keep your medical records as confidential as possible, and if your hospital, lab, or health system falls victim to a hack, check out our guide on what to do during a data breach for advice.
