Honolulu-based University of Hawaii Cancer Center reported that nearly 1.2 million individuals may have had their data compromised in a 2025 ransomware attack.
The organization discovered the cyberattack in August, and subsequently paid ransom to the cybercriminals to prevent them from releasing patient data and to decrypt the files.
“The UH Cancer Center deeply regrets that this incident occurred and that so many individuals have been impacted,” said Naoto Ueno, MD, PhD, director of the UH Cancer Center, in a Feb. 27 notice. “We take this matter extremely seriously and are committed to transparency, accountability and strengthening protections for the research data entrusted to us.”
The hack involved records of people who participated in or were recruited for the center’s Multiethnic Cohort Study, which took place from 1993 to 1996. The data may have included Social Security and driver’s license numbers.
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