Data Privacy Incident

On Dec. 21, 2023, East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, a member of ECU Health, discovered that certain files were inadvertently made accessible to ECU students, employees and certain ECU Health employed clinicians, beyond the individuals who required access, between July 2022 and January 2024. The Brody School of Medicine restricted access to the files and has no evidence any of the information has been misused.

Because the files were available to users who were not authorized to access them, the Brody School of Medicine reviewed the files for protected health and personal information. Starting on Jan. 12, 2024, the Brody School of Medicine determined some of the files contained protected health information and/or personal information. The information that may have been viewed included names, health insurance information, and diagnostic and/or clinical information pertaining to services patients received from Brody School of Medicine clinicians.

Based on the information available to the Brody School of Medicine, the information did NOT include any social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, or credit card numbers. None of these files were available to the general public and this incident was not the result of a cyberattack.

The Brody School of Medicine has sent written notifications to individuals whose information may have been involved in the incident. Individuals should refer to the notice they will receive in the mail regarding steps they can take to protect themselves, should they feel the need to do so.

Involved individuals may also wish to review the tips provided by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) on fraud alerts, security/credit freezes and steps that they can take to avoid identity theft. For more information and to contact the FTC, please visit the FTC ID Theft Website or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338). Affected individuals may also contact the FTC at Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.

The Brody School of Medicine is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of personal information. The Brody School of Medicine has taken, and is taking, additional steps to help reduce the likelihood of a similar event from happening in the future, including reviewing its employee training and enhancing its technical security measures. Individuals seeking additional information may call a confidential, toll-free inquiry line at 833-918-1257 toll-free from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding major US holidays.