Study: Medical records under threat

Associated Press

CHICAGO

Your private medical information is under threat. That’s according to a study that found almost 30 million health records nationwide were involved in criminal theft, malicious hacking or other data breaches over four years. The incidents seem to be increasing.

Compromised information included patients’ names, home addresses, ages, illnesses, test results or Social Security numbers. Most involved electronic data and theft, including stolen laptops and computer thumb drives.

The study didn’t examine motives behind criminal breaches, or how stolen data might have been used, but cyber- security experts say thieves may try to use patients’ personal information to fraudulently obtain medical services.