Priority Health discovered a cyber security incident on Dec. 16, 2021, involving its Member Rewards Program in which an unauthorized individual accessed several Priority Health Member Portal (PHMP) accounts. After conducting a thorough investigation, the company has determined that the unauthorized individual was able to view information within PHMP accounts that may have included names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, insurance information, claims information and limited medical information. There is no evidence that Social Security Numbers were accessed, and the investigation has not revealed any misuse. However, out of an abundance of caution, Priority Health has alerted all members and employers who were potentially impacted by this incident and is providing a variety of services and measures to help safeguard those individuals.
Upon learning of the incident, Priority Health immediately disabled access to the PHMP and all member accounts were put on hold from Dec. 16 to Dec. 21, 2021, to ensure affected accounts were secure. Additional steps were then taken to strengthen account security, including requiring members to reset their passwords with high complexity. Priority Health has been working closely with external cyber security professionals experienced in handling these types of incidents. The company also implemented Multifactor Authentication (MFA) for all PHMP accounts on Jan. 18, 2022, providing a secondary level of security for members.
While no evidence of misuse has been found, Priority Health is offering impacted members a complimentary 24-month membership of Experian’s® IdentityWorksSM as an additional layer of protection. The product will provide members with superior identity detection and resolution of identity theft.
Priority Health is mailing letters to impacted members. However, any member who is concerned their information may be at risk, or has any further questions regarding this incident, can contact privacy@priorityhealth.com or call the dedicated and confidential toll-free response line at 1-800-942-0954. This response line is available Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to noon. The line is staffed with professionals familiar with this incident and knowledgeable on what can be done to protect against any misuse of personal information. Information about this incident will also be available online at www.priorityhealth.com.
For more such updates and perspectives around Digital Innovation, IoT, Data Infrastructure, AI & Cybersecurity, go to AI-Techpark.com.
