Henry Schein Reports Data Breach Affects 29,112 Individuals

USA: Henry Schein, a major dental and medical products supplier, has reported a data breach that occurred on September 27, affecting part of its manufacturing and distribution businesses. The cyber incident potentially exposed the personal information of 29,112 people, including more than three dozen residents of Maine. The breach was claimed by the ransomware group AlphV/BlackCat.

Nature of the Breach

The hackers accessed information that included individuals’ names, along with financial account or credit/debit card numbers combined with sensitive security details such as the security code, access code, password, or PIN for the account. The Office of the Maine Attorney General notified consumers about the incident, emphasizing the sensitivity of the compromised data.

Henry Schein Faces Cyberattack Impact; Recovery Underway

Henry Schein detected the breach on October 14 and promptly took some systems offline to contain the incident. The company, headquartered in Melville, New York, assured that practice management software used by its clients remained unaffected. However, the cyber incident led to a disruption in the company’s operations, prompting it to offer price discounts to regain customers who turned elsewhere during the downtime.

Data Accessed and Additional Incidents

Employee data, including names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, photographs, dates of birth, demographic details, government-issued identification numbers, financial information, medical history, insurance information, employment details, and IP addresses, may have been accessed. Henry Schein also notified U.S. suppliers about the misuse of bank account information due to the breach.

Guide to improve dental practice cyber protection

The company faced disruptions in its operations, impacting sales expectations for the 2023 fiscal year. It anticipates a $0.55 to $0.75 impact on earnings per share related to the business interruption. While Henry Schein has mostly restored its operations, the cybersecurity breach led to delays in regulatory filings. The company has taken steps to address the breach, including restoring its e-commerce platform and offering discounts to retain customer loyalty.

Ongoing Investigations and Company Statements

The ransomware group AlphV/BlackCat claimed responsibility for the breach. Henry Schein, after addressing the initial incident, faced a subsequent disruption to its e-commerce platform on November 22, as acknowledged in regulatory filings. Investigations are ongoing, and the company continues to provide updates on its recovery efforts.

Canadian Dental Service Corp Pays Ransom After Cyber Attack