3 months Ago
Hackers may have compromised the personal and medical information of all 941,000 women who participated in the national cervical cancer screening programme since it began in 2017.
Originally, the organisation reported that data of 485,000 women had been compromised, and months later, revised that number to 715,000 women. Because it cannot exclude the possibility of exposing the entire database, every participant since the beginning of the program in 2017 will receive a letter in the next few weeks.
Sensitive Medical Information Compromised
Compromised files included personal information and some files with medical information some of which has already turned up on the dark web.
Reports verified that the information of a government minister and a member of parliament, including their screening report and details identifying them personally such as names, addresses, and BSN numbers, have leaked.
"The agency realises this is alarming for participants in the cervical cancer screening programme" and advised women to be on heightened awareness for phishing and fraud attempts.
Investigation and Legal Action
The Dutch police, as well as the public prosecution service has launched a criminal investigation against the individuals behind the hack.
At the same time, tens of thousands of affected women have decided to collectively pursue claims against the breach, asking for accountability members health information.
