[News] A major US hospital group said it was the victim of a cyber-attack resulting in the theft of 4.5 million people’s personal data.

The attack believed to have originated in China, happened in April and June this year. The breached data included patient names, addresses, birthdates, telephone numbers and social security numbers. However, Community Health Systems stressed that it believed no medical or credit card records were taken. The firm, which runs 206 hospitals in 29 states, is now in the process of notifying affected patients. One security expert warned that the data could be used to steal people’s identity.

Law enforcement and security experts state that medical equipment is at risk from hack attacks due to poor security measures.

Community Health Systems said security group Mandiant, part of FireEye, advised the company that the techniques used were similar to those used by a well-known Chinese hacking group. However, the identity of the attacker-groups was not further elaborated.

The attack had a major personal impact

Lamar Bailey, director of security research and development at cybersecurity firm Tripwire, said the fact medical records and credit card details were not stolen will be of little comfort to those affected. However, the impact on the personal data was major. The stolen information could be used to open accounts in the name of the 4.5 million victims.

In May, the US charged five Chinese military officers over claims they were behind hacks on US companies. The officers denied the charges, and the Chinese government said the action was “groundless” and represented “US distrust”.

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