What is the Dominion National Data Breach? And how did this 9-year breach happen?
Read on to find out more about this report.
Introduction
We have seen so many news about data breaches. These hackers will steal customer data. And it can cause harm to them.
A data breach that lasts for weeks or months is bad enough. But what about those that last for years?
Dominion National found unauthorized access on its computer servers. And it did not just happen for weeks or months.
This breach began as early as August 2010. And that is nearly nine years before the discovery.
Dominion National Data Breach
Dominion National is a vision and dental insurance and benefits company. Their clients include individuals, employers, municipalities, and associations.
In late April 2019, they investigated an internal alert. It shows that people who should not reach their systems could have gotten access since August 25, 2010.
The reporting tool from the Department of Health listed 2.96 million patients. They informed them about the potential breach of data.
In their report, they did not say what caused the alert. Also, they did not announce how much customers’ data were leaked.
Additionally, Dominion National has other business partners. They are under Avalon Insurance Company. And their partners include Dominion Dental Services USA, Inc.
These are located in D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The data from these partners may have suffered the breach, too.
Moreover, they said that the hackers may have accessed the demographic information of the members. They also said that the data of plan makers and health services are leaked.
The breached information from customers possibly includes:
- names
- addresses
- email IDs
- identification numbers
- social security numbers
- birthdates
- group ID numbers
Moreover, those who enrolled online may suffer from worse consequences. Their bank account may also be leaked.
Their Actions
According to their report, they asked for the help of a leading cybersecurity firm. Also, they announced that they cleaned the affected servers.
Besides, they sent letters to the affected customers. They also have a hotline for those who want to know more about the issue.
Moreover, they stated that they improved their monitoring and alerting apps. They also communicated with the FBI.
With that, all patients will receive additional services. It includes two years of credit and fraud protection services.
What we can say
Despite their efforts, it is still troubling that it lasted for nine years. And we still do not know how the hackers accessed their systems.
Possibly, they did not classify the data of Dominion National. Also, their company may not have correct policies about security.
Besides, if they have preemptive measures in advance, this breach would not have happened.
What you can do
It is important to apply layered protection to your computer systems. Also, it can be helpful to separate classified information from the public. That way, they will not access your private information.
Also, it is important to train your employees. They can be the weakest link to breaches.
Train them not to click links from untrusted websites. Besides, do not download files from unknown email senders. They can contain malware. And it can be the start of data breaches.
