We previously reported that Ascension Health detected a cyber-attack on May 8, 2024, that affected clinical operations in Ascension facilities in six states.

On December 20, 2024, Ascension notified the Maine Attorney General in a regulatory filing that the attack compromised the personal information of 5.6 million individuals. According to Ascension, the incident occurred on February 29, 2024, but was detected on May 8, 2024. The data compromised included individuals’ names, insurance information, Social Security numbers, and payment details. The incident occurred when “an employee accidentally downloaded a malicious file disguised as legitimate…an honest mistake.”

Ascension is notifying the individuals and providing 24 months of credit monitoring, a $1,000,000 insurance reimbursement policy, and identity theft recovery services for those affected by the incident.

Photo of Linn Foster Freedman Linn Foster Freedman

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her…

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her practice on compliance with all state and federal privacy and security laws and regulations. She counsels a range of public and private clients from industries such as construction, education, health care, insurance, manufacturing, real estate, utilities and critical infrastructure, marine and charitable organizations, on state and federal data privacy and security investigations, as well as emergency data breach response and mitigation. Linn is an Adjunct Professor of the Practice of Cybersecurity at Brown University and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Roger Williams University School of Law.  Prior to joining the firm, Linn served as assistant attorney general and deputy chief of the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s Office for the State of Rhode Island. She earned her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law and her B.A., with honors, in American Studies from Newcomb College of Tulane University. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read her full rc.com bio here.