Major Healthcare Company Abbott Faces Two Data Breaches: What Patients Should Know

Abbott Laboratories, a large American healthcare company, is dealing with two separate cybersecurity incidents. One incident involves their Cancer Diagnostics business, and another affects their LabCentral portal. These are two different breaches that happened around the same time but appear to be unrelated. Two different hacker groups, ShinyHunters and ShadowByt3$, have both claimed responsibility for accessing Abbott's systems. Abbott announced on July 16th that they are investigating unauthorized access to a limited part of their systems. If you or a family member has used Abbott's cancer diagnostic services or the LabCentral portal, your personal information may have been accessed. This could include medical records, test results, or personal details you provided to Abbott. The company has not yet disclosed exactly what information was taken or how many people are affected. Cancer patients and anyone who has had lab work processed through Abbott should pay close attention to updates from the company.

Here is what you should do right now. First, watch your mail and email for any official notification from Abbott about these breaches. They are legally required to notify affected patients. Second, monitor your medical accounts and insurance statements for any unusual activity or services you did not receive. Third, check your credit reports for any new accounts or suspicious activity, as medical information can sometimes be used for identity theft. You can get free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com. Fourth, be extra cautious about any emails or phone calls claiming to be from Abbott, as scammers often follow data breaches with phishing attempts.

To protect yourself going forward, consider placing a fraud alert on your credit file if you receive confirmation that your information was compromised. Keep records of all communications related to this breach.

If you have online accounts with Abbott or related healthcare portals, change your passwords immediately and use strong, unique passwords. Enable two-factor authentication wherever it is offered. Stay vigilant about your medical and financial accounts for at least the next year, as stolen information can be used months after a breach occurs.