Posted On March 25, 2023 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
March 25, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS-OCR) received a data breach notice from Kroger Postal Prescription Services (Kroger PPS) on March 15, 2023, after finding that private consumer information in Kroger PPS’ possession had been vulnerable to unauthorized access. Although the HHS-OCR listing does not disclose the precise data types that were exposed, it appears from the company’s filing with the HHS-OCR that the breach involved the protected health information of customers. After determining that there had been a data breach, Kroger PPS started notifying 82,466 individuals who had been affected by the current data security incident.
The Kroger Postal Prescription Services data breach is being actively looked into by the data breach lawyers of Console & Associates, P.C. We are offering free consultations where we can go through your legal alternatives if you have gotten a breach notification and are curious about what you can do to protect yourself and if you can get financial compensation from Kroger PPS.
The grocery store giant Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, runs more than 2,700 locations in 35 states. Some other stores affiliated with Kroger are Payless Super Market, Ruler, Smith’s, Fred Meyer, Jay C Food Plus, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Kroger, Kroger Marketplace, Fry’s Food and Drug, and Harris Teeter. Mail-order prescriptions are managed by the Postal Prescription Services division. Kroger, which was founded in 1883, now employs over 500,000 people and brings in over $144 billion annually.
There is currently little known about the Kroger PPS hack. We only know that the incident involved “Unauthorized Access/Disclosure” of data kept on the company’s network server, according to the company’s filing with the HHS-OCR. Kroger Postal Prescription Services started looking through the affected files after learning that private consumer information had been made available to an unauthorized person. This was done to ascertain what information had been hacked and whose customers were impacted.
On March 15, 2023, Kroger Postal Prescription Services mailed data breach letters to each person whose information had been affected due to the leak. The HHS-OCR reports that the Kroger PPS data breach exposed the personal information of 82,466 people.
If Kroger Postal Prescription Services notifies you of a data breach, it means that your private information, including protected health information, may have been exposed to an unauthorized party. What could someone possibly do with your protected health information, though?
According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), only specific information is regarded as protected. Names, pertinent dates, such as birth dates, medical record numbers, account numbers, addresses, Social Security numbers, and many other identifiers totaling a total of 18 make up some of the information that is regarded as protected.
Hackers can use the listed information for various purposes or even sell it to third parties on the dark web for their own gain. Receiving medical care using your information is one such instance of medical identity theft. It may also tamper with information in your medical records, such as information on diagnoses and medications, and can leave you with medical expenses that aren’t yours.
The consumer privacy lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. help customers affected by data and security breaches pursue legal solutions by offering free consultations. By explaining your rights in clear, concise terms, we help you make an informed decision about your next steps. If you are a victim of the Kroger Postal Prescription Services data breach, Console & Associates, P.C. will investigate at no charge to you and offer advice on how to proceed. If you decide to pursue a case, rest assured that we don’t get paid unless you do. If your claim is successful, legal fees are either paid out of the funds recovered or by the defendant. If your claim is not successful, you pay nothing.
To schedule your free consultation, just call (866) 778-5500 today or fill out our secure contact form.
