Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is raising awareness about the availability of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services from Ascension Healthcare to Ascension patients and associates following a recent ransomware attack that may have impacted their personal information.
Ascension detected the unusual activity in its network systems on May 8 and is currently investigating the attack.
“In light of this data breach, it’s crucial that patients and associates take proactive steps to protect their personal information,” Nessel said. “My department is in communication with Ascension and remains committed to helping Michigan residents safeguard their data.”
Ascension believes data accessed in the cyberattack may include Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for certain individuals, which may differ between impacted persons.
While Ascension is conducting a full review of what data was potentially affected, it is offering 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to any Ascension patient or associate who requests it, free of charge, regardless of whether the health care system determines in the future that their data was involved in this incident.
Consumers who wish to enroll in free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services can call Ascension’s dedicated call center at 1-888-498-8066.
State law does not currently require companies who experience a data breach to share that information with the Department of Attorney General. The Department often learns about these data breaches through media reports. The AG strongly recommends the legislature – similar to many other states – strengthen our law to require companies who experience a data breach to immediately inform the Department of Attorney General. This will allow the attorney general to more quickly alert the public.
"If a breach goes unreported, hackers can exploit sensitive information they stole undetected for months, leaving victims in our state vulnerable,” Nessel said. “The Department of Attorney General must be alerted immediately of these breaches to better help consumers impacted by these crimes.”
Consumers who are concerned they may have been impacted by the data breach can visit Ascension’s dedicated website for more information and updates about the breach and Ascension’s response.
The Department of Attorney General’s “Data Breaches: What to do Next” alert provides consumers with useful information about what kind of information can be accessed during a data breach (www.michigan.gov/consumerprotection/protect-yourself/consumer-alerts/id-theft-telemarketing/data-breaches).
To file a complaint with the attorney general, or get additional information, contact:
Consumer Protection Team:
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-7599
Fax: 517-241-3771
Toll-free: 877-765-8388
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