Notice of Data Event

January 19, 2024 Update:

At Singing River Health System, we are deeply committed to providing high-quality care and improving the lives of our community, and we take the obligation to safeguard the information in our care very seriously. In the spirit of transparency, we’d like to provide an update on our ongoing response to a recent cyber-attack and the public notifications we have issued, which included information posted to our website and social media channels, as well as individual notification letters.

On January 18, we were made aware that in many cases, individual recipient names and addresses did not align on the individual notification letters. Thanks to this feedback, we were able to identify the error and begin working to correct it. We apologize for the confusion this may have caused and would like to assure the community that the issue is being corrected and we will be reissuing individual notification letters as soon as possible.

It is important to note that while the recipient’s name may not have been correct, the households that received a notification letter were correct and were intended to receive the notification.
We have not received any indication that personal information has been misused at this time. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, we encourage all those in the households that received a letter to enroll in our complimentary credit monitoring and identity restoration services by going to https://response.idx.us/singingriver and using the access code provided in the letter.  

We want to clarify:

• Although the names may be incorrect, the content of these letters is true, and the accompanying link is valid and not a scam.
• The mailing distribution came from California, and therefore, the return address reflects a West Sacramento, California address.
• Anyone who received a letter has the option to register for free credit monitoring and identity restoration services.  
• The access code provided is not connected to recipients’ name or address.
• Recipients may call our dedicated assistance line at 888-996-3921 Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST.

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Singing River Health System, for itself and on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary, Singing River Gulfport (collectively “Singing River”) is providing notice of a recent cyber incident that may impact the privacy of certain information of limited individuals. Singing River is unaware of any misuse of individual information and is providing this notice out of an abundance of caution.

On August 19, 2023, Singing River observed unusual activity related to the inaccessibility of certain systems within its network. Singing River immediately began to investigate to better understand the nature and scope of this activity. The preliminary internal investigation revealed several systems were inaccessible. Singing River began working with third-party cybersecurity specialists to determine the full scope and impact of this incident. On or about September 13, 2023, the investigation confirmed an unknown actor accessed Singing River’s systems and took certain, limited data from those systems.

Singing River took immediate steps to contain the threat and enable hospital operations, including services to its patients, to continue uninterrupted. Singing River simultaneously launched a full investigation designed to understand the nature and scope of what occurred, what information was stored on impacted systems at the time of the incident, and to whom that information relates. The investigation remains ongoing at this time.

If you have questions, or need assistance, please call 888-996-3921.

We encourage potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing their accounts, explanations of benefits, and credit reports for suspicious activity, and to report any suspicious activity to the affiliated institutions immediately. Individuals may contact the three major credit reporting agencies for advice on how to obtain free credit reports and how to place fraud alerts and security freezes on credit files. The relevant contact information is below.

Under U.S. law you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.

You have the right to place a “security freeze” on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below:

In order to request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. If you have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where you have lived over the prior five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, military identification, etc.);
7. If you are a victim of identity theft, include a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft.

As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a one-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file.  Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the agencies listed below:

You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself, by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.

The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General.