This week was slow in the cybersecurity breach world; a combined 775k records got exposed stemming from two health centers (Singing River Health and Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD) and a nationwide mortgage lender (Academy Mortgage Corporation); a communications security solution (Egress) released a risk report urging action of business leaders; and Kansas State University suffered widespread disruptions, potentially compromising the sensitive data of their students and faculty.

Kansas State University (K-State) is below Tuttle Creek Lake in northeast Kansas. The university serves 20,000 students, employs a complex faculty of emeritus, postdocs, and graduates, and offers over 50 programs. On Tuesday (January 16th, 2024), K-State published a statement concerning the disruption of some of its services; hours later, a preliminary investigation determined the cause of the disruptions came from a cybersecurity event.

Egress Software is a cybersecurity firm specializing in digital communications. They analyze security risks within emails, messaging, documents, file-sharing gateways, and more. In their line of work, humans are the most significant cybersecurity risk to any organization.

Academy Mortgage Corporation (AMC) is a nationwide mortgage lender and home loan estate professional group. The organization has over 200 branches throughout the US and numerous loan, mortgage, and financing options. In March 2023, AMC officials discovered a breach within their system network; the threat actor accessed and deactivated some of their securities, putting employees and borrowers at risk for compromised data.

The Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) has six regional locations and assists those with behavioral health and developmental needs. Every year, they serve thousands within Harris County and deliver over a million services nationwide. In November, Harris experienced a network disruption; an unauthorized actor accessed and compromised the data of 238,463 individuals within Harris’ network.

Singing River Health System (SRHS) is a healthcare network located in the tail of Mississippi (and northern Alabama). They provide a comprehensive network of medical services for residents, including cancer, emergency, hospice, pediatrics, and urgent care. SRHS’ emergency departments at Gulfport Hospital, Ocean Springs Hospital, and Pascagoula Hospital serve over 100,000 patients yearly.

This week’s featured cyber incidents included a combined 2.3 million, although one event remains under investigation. The week began with an update from the Edmonds School District regarding their January 2023 breach, which exposed 145,844 individuals. Three other breaches also updated information; NASCO led the group with an update on their 1.6 million breach stemming from MOVEit.

NASCO provides various healthcare solutions to serve Blue Cross and Blue Shield members. They offer a comprehensive portfolio of services and use industry insights to project the needs of their 20 million clients. Thanks to third-party vendors specializing in unique services, NASCO can serve millions of individuals. Progress Software’s MOVEit tool was one of these specialized vendors. The tool allows for streamlined file management and was used globally as a multi-industry option.