Planned Parenthood Los Angeles Reports 400,000 Patients Had Their Data Leaked In October

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Planned Parenthood Los Angeles announced on Tuesday that they experienced a security breach from an unknown party in October 2021.

In a statement released on their website, PPLA indicated that from October 9 to October 17, an unauthorized party had gained access to their database, exfiltrating documents that contained personal information for approximately 400,000 patients who had visited the facility.

They did indicate that they have no evidence or reason to believe that the information has been used for fraudulent purposes.

The Los Angeles division of the nonprofit organization discovered the suspicious activity on October 17, immediately taking systems offline and alerting law enforcement. They also contacted a third-party cybersecurity firm to handle the situation.

PPLA disclosed that while the investigation is still ongoing, they have discovered which files were exfiltrated, that malware and ransomware were installed, and which patient's information was included in the stolen files.

Among the information that was taken from some of the documents:

• Patient names
• Patient dates of birth
• Patient addresses
• Patient insurance identification numbers
• Patient clinical data (diagnosis, treatment, or prescription information)

PPLA is mailing notices to each of the patients affected by the incident, and they encourage anyone who may have visited their facilities in the past to refer to statements from healthcare providers/insurance companies to see if there are any unauthorized charges or treatments that they did not receive.

In the statement the organization maintained their regret for the incident:

"We take the safeguarding of patients' information extremely seriously, and deeply regret that this incident occurred and for any concern this may cause. In response to this incident, PPLA has taken steps to enhance our existing security measures and to help protect the information in our care, including increasing our network monitoring, engaging an external cybersecurity firm, and hiring additional cybersecurity resources and talent to our team."

They also urge anyone who believes they were affected, or with questions regarding the incident to contact their dedicated toll-free helpline at (866) 663-6283. Callers should provide Engagement Number B021850.

Despite the breach in Los Angeles, there is no evidence to show that any other Planned Parenthood affiliates were impacted.

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles can be found in 21 separate locations throughout the city, striving to provide people with health services, education and advocacy in regards to reproductive health care services.

Their mission statement is: "to provide convenient and affordable access to a comprehensive range of quality reproductive health care and sexual health information through patient services, education and advocacy."

You can learn more about PPLA here.