Bucks County behavioral health and substance abuse nonprofit struck in cyberattack, urges clients to check their information
Bucks County behavioral health and substance abuse nonprofit struck in cyberattack, urges clients to check their information
By ANTHONY SALAMONE
THE MORNING CALL |
JUN 29, 2021 AT 4:06 PM
The records of an unspecified number of clients of an Upper Bucks County behavioral-health and substance abuse nonprofit, which serves the Lehigh Valley, might have been stolen as part of a ransomware attack on the agency earlier this year.
Penn Foundation in West Rockhill Township said it informed clients Tuesday of the possible data breach via a letter from Wayne A. Mugrauer, its president and CEO.
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He wrote the nonprofit is unaware of clients’ information being improperly used.
“But out of an abundance of caution, we want to make you aware of this matter and offer resources to help protect your information,” the letter states.
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The organization has provided clients with instructions on how to access data protection resources and to register with the main credit reporting agencies. It also provided a toll-free telephone number for clients to call with further questions: 800-939-4170.
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Mugrauer wrote that Penn Foundation officials discovered the cyberattack Feb. 10, when workers were unable to access its computers. It hired an unnamed company that specializes in cybersecurity to conduct a forensic investigation.
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By late May, Mugrauer wrote, “The investigation confirmed that we were the victim of a ransomware attack,” and an unauthorized person might have gained access to clients’ data. In a follow-up response, the agency said it did not pay a ransom, and this was the first time a breach has happened to Penn Foundation.
Agency officials declined to say how many of its 17,197 clients were affected. The nonprofit’s clients are in 11 counties, includingLehigh and Northampton, and it operates at eight locations.
Ransomware attacks have been gaining ground recently, with attacks that crippled Colonial Pipeline Co. and 45% of the East Coast’s fuel supply. More recently an attack disrupted production at JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, that has a plant in Souderton, Montgomery County.
The 65-year-old nonprofit on Thursday will become part of St. Luke’s University Health Network. The deal was first announced in November. Founded in 1955, Penn Foundation offers more than two dozen community-based behavioral health programs — including one of Pennsylvania’s first opioid use disorder centers — and has 450 employees.
By ANTHONY SALAMONE
THE MORNING CALL |
JUN 29, 2021 AT 4:06 PM
The records of an unspecified number of clients of an Upper Bucks County behavioral-health and substance abuse nonprofit, which serves the Lehigh Valley, might have been stolen as part of a ransomware attack on the agency earlier this year.
Penn Foundation in West Rockhill Township said it informed clients Tuesday of the possible data breach via a letter from Wayne A. Mugrauer, its president and CEO.
Advertisement
Skip Ad
He wrote the nonprofit is unaware of clients’ information being improperly used.
“But out of an abundance of caution, we want to make you aware of this matter and offer resources to help protect your information,” the letter states.
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The organization has provided clients with instructions on how to access data protection resources and to register with the main credit reporting agencies. It also provided a toll-free telephone number for clients to call with further questions: 800-939-4170.
Lehigh Valley company, one of the country’s fastest-growing cybersecurity firms, fights war in the shadows »
Mugrauer wrote that Penn Foundation officials discovered the cyberattack Feb. 10, when workers were unable to access its computers. It hired an unnamed company that specializes in cybersecurity to conduct a forensic investigation.
Advertisement
By late May, Mugrauer wrote, “The investigation confirmed that we were the victim of a ransomware attack,” and an unauthorized person might have gained access to clients’ data. In a follow-up response, the agency said it did not pay a ransom, and this was the first time a breach has happened to Penn Foundation.
Agency officials declined to say how many of its 17,197 clients were affected. The nonprofit’s clients are in 11 counties, includingLehigh and Northampton, and it operates at eight locations.
Ransomware attacks have been gaining ground recently, with attacks that crippled Colonial Pipeline Co. and 45% of the East Coast’s fuel supply. More recently an attack disrupted production at JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, that has a plant in Souderton, Montgomery County.
The 65-year-old nonprofit on Thursday will become part of St. Luke’s University Health Network. The deal was first announced in November. Founded in 1955, Penn Foundation offers more than two dozen community-based behavioral health programs — including one of Pennsylvania’s first opioid use disorder centers — and has 450 employees.
