Kaiser Health Insurance Notifies Millions of Data Breach

Kaiser Permanente, a leading US healthcare provider, is notifying 13.4 million individuals that their data has been breached. The breach involved the accidental sharing of sensitive information with third-party advertisers. Revealed in a statement shared with TechCrunch, Kaiser Permanente mentioned the breach involved unforeseen transmissions of personal data due to tracking technologies installed on the healthcare giant's websites and mobile apps.

This sensitive data included members' names, IP addresses, details about their interactions with Kaiser Permanente's online services, and search terms entered into their health encyclopedia. Notably, the disclosed data did not encompass more sensitive details such as Social Security numbers or financial information.

Kaiser Permanente, a nonprofit entity, operates 40 hospitals and 618 medical facilities across several states, including California, Colorado, and Washington, among others. It is one of the largest managed care organizations in the United States, serving millions of members nationwide.

The breach is recorded as one of the largest health-related data breaches in 2024, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ breach notification portal. The data was inadvertently shared with prominent third-party vendors, including Google, Microsoft Bing, and X (formerly Twitter).

Kaiser has confirmed the removal of the offending tracking codes following a voluntary internal investigation. The healthcare conglomerate has initiated a thorough review of its digital platforms to prevent future incidents and is taking steps to bolster its cybersecurity measures.

Kaiser Permanente has also been proactive in addressing the fallout of the breach, assuring members and patients that there has been no evidence so far of any misuse of the exposed information. Nonetheless, the organization is preparing to send out notifications to all affected individuals as a precaution. In addition, Kaiser Permanente has filed the requisite notices with the US Department of Health and Human Services, as required under the health privacy law known as HIPAA, and has also notified California's attorney general.

However, Kaiser is not alone in facing such challenges. Over the past year, telehealth startups such as Cerebral, Monument, and Tempest have removed similar tracking technologies from their applications after discovering that they had shared sensitive patient data with advertisers.