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Quest Diagnostics hack exposes health info of 34K patients

Michael Timmermann | March 22nd, 2017

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Quest Diagnostics is investigating after 34,000 personal health records were recently hacked.

In a news release, the New Jersey-based medical lab company said names, dates of birth, telephone numbers and lab results were compromised.

However, Quest said that Social Security numbers and financial information wasn’t obtained.

Hacked: Personal health information exposed

The lab company reports that a cybersecurity firm is working to assist in the investigation of the November 26 hack, which involved users of the MyQuest by Care360 app.

Check your mailbox because the 34,000 individuals affected should have received a letter. You can also call (888) 320-9970 if you have any questions about the breach.

Don’t give your doctor your Social Security number!

While there’s no way to 100% prevent these hacks, you can mitigate the potential effects.

For example, although this breach didn’t include Social Security numbers, it’s a good reminder to only hand out those digits when it’s absolutely necessary.

Your doctor’s office may ask for your SSN, but Clark recommends just leaving that field blank.

Read more: Don’t give your Social Security number at these places!