An investigation reveals that medical images and data from millions of Americans are left "unprotected" online



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Medical images and health data belonging to millions of Americans – including x-rays and CT scans – are not protected online and can be viewed by anyone with basic computer skills, revealed a new scathing report released Tuesday.

According to ProPublica, which worked in partnership with the German broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk, the registrations involved more than 5 million patients in the United States and millions more in the world. A person interested in seeing the data or private images could even use free software or a standard web browser to view them.

The press conference discovered 187 servers (computers used to store and retrieve medical data) in the United States that were not protected by basic security measures. These systems were used in physicians' offices, medical imaging centers and mobile X-ray services.

"It's not even computer hacking. It's an open door, "ProPublica Jackie Singh, a cybersecurity researcher and general manager of the Spyglass Security consulting firm, told ProPublica.

According to the report, some of the health care providers began locking their systems after the media organization contacted them.

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A report revealed that medical data and medical images, including x-rays and CT scans, were not protected online and could affect millions of Americans.

A report revealed that medical data and medical images, including x-rays and CT scans, were not protected online and could affect millions of Americans.
(BSIP / Universal Images Group via Getty Images, File)

The American company MobilexUSA's server has posted the names of more than a million patients, all while typing a simple data query, reported ProPublica. The information apparently included the dates of birth of the patients, the doctors and the procedures.

MobilexUSA, which conducts mobile x-rays and provides imaging services to hospitals, nursing homes and hospice agencies, reportedly reinforced its safety last week.

"We quickly limited the vulnerabilities identified by ProPublica and immediately opened an in-depth investigation in progress," MobilexUSA's parent company told ProPublica in a statement.

The survey did not reveal any evidence that patient data had been copied from these systems and published elsewhere, but an expert warned that such actions could be devastating.

"Medical records are one of the most important areas for confidentiality because they are very sensitive. Medical knowledge can be used against you in a malicious way: to shame people, to blackmail them, "ProPublica Cooper Quintin, an experienced safety researcher and technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation told ProPublica.

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There has been a growing number of data breaches in recent years. In 2015, Anthem, a US insurer in the health field, revealed that the private data of 78 million people had been exposed in a hacked manner.

"What we generally see in the health care sector is that there is a bandage after applying dressing," Singh said. "We are in 2019. There is no reason for that."

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