Town of Apex, North Carolina

The covered entity (CE), Town of Apex, North Carolina, reported that a ransomware cyber-attack resulted in its network containing protected health information (PHI) being accessed by an unauthorized threat actor. According to the breach report, the breach affected approximately 970 individuals. The PHI involved clinical, demographic and other treatment information. The CE notified HHS, the media, and the affected individuals. In its mitigation efforts, the CE enhanced its intrusion detection solutions and implemented new technical safeguards to prevent a reoccurrence. OCR provided technical assistance to the CE regarding the HIPAA Rules.