In April 2021, Smile Brands, one of the largest provider of support services for dental practices in the country, became aware of a ransomware attack in which hackers gained access to its IT servers. The servers contained sensitive patient data that may have been compromised, including:
- Name
- Social Security number
- Date of birth
- Health insurance information
- Diagnosis information
- Telephone number
- Address
Smile Brands waited until August 2021 to notify individuals of the data breach while the hackers posted on forums about stealing huge amounts of data.
The personal information stolen can be used by hackers to engage in fraud and steal identities. After stealing the Smile Brands data, it was reported that hackers released it on underground websites, placing victims at serious risk of identity theft and financial fraud.
The Lyon Firm is investigating the Smile Brands data breach and is actively involved in numerous data privacy cases and has experience filing data security claims on behalf of plaintiffs nationwide.