Philadelphia city officials are investigating a potential data breach in their email system, which may have exposed protected health information. Suspicious activity was detected on May 24, with an unauthorized user possibly gaining access to email accounts containing sensitive data between May 25 and July 29. The exposed information includes names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, medical records, and some financial details.
City representatives have not clarified the breach’s cause or the delay in public disclosure. They are manually reviewing impacted email accounts to confirm data breaches. Affected individuals will be notified via written letters, and a toll-free line at 1-888-867-2241 is available for potential victims. The city plans to enhance its information security policies and procedures following the incident.
This incident follows a 2020 email breach due to a successful phishing attack, impacting individuals associated with the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services and Community Behavioral Health.