CT Opens Investigation Into Quest Data Breach

From the State of Connecticut Attorney General's Office: Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced they have opened an investigation into the data breach at American Medical Collection Agency, which may have exposed the personal information of nearly 12 million patients of Quest Diagnostics and 7.7 million Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) patients.

The breach was reportedly the result of malicious activity on the web payment page of American Medical Collection Agency, a third-party collections vendor for the two medical testing companies.

"Sensitive personal information of millions of patients may have been compromised, and I am deeply concerned about the adequacy of the plans in place to notify and protect all affected individuals. It is important to determine the cause of this serious data breach and what steps these companies are taking to ensure this does not happen again," said Attorney General Tong.

“The last thing patients should have to worry about is whether their personal information has been compromised by the entities responsible for protecting it,” Raoul said. “I am committed to ensuring that impacted patients receive timely notification and that the companies involved take precautions to protect consumers’ sensitive health and financial information in the future.”

The attorneys general sent letters this week to American Medical Collection Agency, Quest Diagnostics, and LabCorp seeking the total number of U.S., Connecticut and Illinois residents affected by the breach, a breakdown of categories of personal information compromised, and information as to how the companies intend to inform and protect affected residents. The attorneys general are also seeking the facts and circumstances surrounding the breach, measures the companies had in place to protect patient data privacy, and plans to prevent the recurrence of a future breach.

Individuals who may have been affected by the breach should receive notice from one or more of their companies that will provide additional steps individuals can take.

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