Sioux City, Iowa-based Jones Eye Clinic was the victim of a cyberattack that compromised thousands of patients' data, according to the Sioux City Journal.
Here are five things to know:
1. The eye clinic's employees discovered a ransomware attack on their computer system Aug. 23. The clinic was able to restore much of the stolen information using a backup and did not pay for the return of the stolen data.
2. As a result of the attack, which exposed 40,000 patients' information, the clinic hired a forensic computer investigator to examine what happened. After conducting the investigation, the clinic found the ransomware was loaded Aug. 22 and attackers had access to patient information but not the group's EMR data.
3. The compromised patient information includes names, dates of birth, medical record numbers and some Social Security numbers as well as insurance statuses, according to the report.
4. Jones Eye Clinic notified the FBI and patients of the breach, as well as provided information for patients to avoid future fraud. The clinic will provide a year of free credit monitoring for affected patients.
5. Charles E. Jones, MD, launched Jones Eye Clinic in 1971 and added the ASC in Sioux Falls, S.D., in 1990. The clinic now includes five physicians.