Latest News

LastPass Data Breach

Password security website LastPass has suffered a data breach. Hackers have stolen the email addresses and password reminders belonging to thousands of users. If you are a LastPass user, your personal information may have been stolen. Please contact us using the form on this page or call us at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.

Background

On June 15, 2015 a LastPass investigation team revealed that the company discovered that it has suffered a data breach. Hackers have broken into LastPass databases and have compromised user email addresses, password reminders, and other password data. LastPass CEO Joe Siegrist said that the company has “found no evidence that encrypted user vault data was taken, nor that LastPass user accounts were accessed.” However, although the company has not found evidence of any theft of encrypted data, the possibility exists that the hackers were able to steal the data and cover up their tracks.

LastPass is a password management service that centralizes user password management onto company-run servers. LastPass offers a number of free services but offers additional functionality for premium users. In addition to its services for individuals, the company provides password management for more than 13,000 businesses.

The company’s own password strengthening algorithm makes a user’s LastPass password harder to break. However, it does not make it impossible to overcome. The LastPass algorithm depends on the strength of the password that the user created. Weak passwords are things like names or common English words. To strengthen user passwords, people should include numbers or non-alphabetical characters like the exclamation point (!) when they create their passwords.

Data Breach

A data breach occurs when an unauthorized person views, accesses, or retrieves protected or confidential data belonging to another. A common type of data breach is when computer hackers steal information. These are the kinds of incidents you might hear of on the news. Typically, a hacker or group of hackers will target an organization for its access to a person’s personal health information, personal identity information, financial information, trade secrets, or intellectual property.

Potential Class Action

It has been confirmed that LastPass user emails and password reminders have been compromised. Even if the thieves did not steal encrypted user data, they stole the means to access encrypted user data. These days criminals can easily build machines capable of computing tens of millions of possible password hashes per second for each username or email address. With time, a dedicated hacker can infiltrate secured networks using a bare minimum of identification information. If the hackers from the LastPass breach get to the protected data, the stored information of thousands of LastPass client businesses will be vulnerable.

If you are a LastPass user, your personal information may have been stolen. Please contact us using the form on this page or call The Class Action News at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.

Medical Informatics Engineering Hack

Medical Informatics Engineering has been hacked. Its client companies may have had their customers’ protected health information stolen. If you were ever a patient of Concentra, Fort Wayne Neurological Center, Franciscan St. Francis Health Indianapolis, Gynecology Center, Inc. Fort Wayne, or The Rochester Medical Group, then your personal information may have been stolen. Please contact us using the form on this page or call The Class Action News at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.

Background

A forensics investigation by Medical Informatics Engineering’s own team determined that a “sophisticated cyber attack” breached the company’s networks on May 7, 2015. The breach has compromised the protected health information of patients affiliated with Medical Informatics’ client companies. This information may include patient names, addresses, birth dates, and social security numbers. The number of affected patients has not been determined yet.

Client companies affected by the breach:
• Concentra
• Fort Wayne Neurological Center
• Franciscan St. Francis Health Indianapolis
• Gynecology Center, Inc. Fort Wayne
• The Rochester Medical Group

Medical Informatics Engineering is a healthcare information technology company. It provides electronic health records for healthcare providers.

Concentra is a national health care company. It has more than 330 medical centers in 40 states.

The Fort Wayne Neurological Center, Franciscan St. Francis Health, and Gynecology Center, Inc. are all healthcare facilities in the state of Indiana.

The Rochester Medical Group operates an urgent care center in Rochester Hills, Michigan.

Data Breach

A data breach occurs when an unauthorized person views, accesses, or retrieves protected or confidential data belonging to another. A common type of data breach is when computer hackers steal information. These are the kinds of incidents you might hear of on the news. Typically, a hacker or group of hackers will target an organization for its access to a person’s personal health information, personal identity information, financial information, trade secrets, or intellectual property.

HIPAA and Protected Health Information

Healthcare providers and medical insurers must follow the rules set in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Generally, a patient’s protected health information cannot be disclosed to anyone beside the patient without the patient’s consent. Protected health information is any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to a specific individual.

Potential Class Action

Medical Informatics Engineering is the company in charge of maintaining the electronic health records belonging to the patients of several client companies. A cyber attack targeting Medical Informatics Engineering has left the company, and all of its client companies vulnerable. Any patient of these client companies is at risk of having their protected health information stolen.

If you were ever a patient of Concentra, Fort Wayne Neurological Center, Franciscan St. Francis Health Indianapolis, Gynecology Center, Inc. Fort Wayne, or The Rochester Medical Group, then your personal information may have been stolen. Please contact us using the form on this page or call The Class Action News at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.

Point of Sale Malware Attacks

Criminals target point of sale systems to steal the payment information of many people at once. If your payment information has been stolen, please contact us using the form on this page or call us at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.

Background

A point of sale (POS) system is the equipment and processes used in businesses for a retail transaction. A typical POS system includes a cash register, computer, receipt printer, customer display, barcode scanner, and a debit/credit card reader. Modern POS systems are tied to a business’s payment processing, inventory, and customer relationship management functions.

POS systems are targeted by criminals because they are essential in processing financial transactions. A lot of the money entering a business will pass through a POS system. Criminals will target a POS terminal to steal the payment data that passes through the system. This is essentially a matter of altering computer data, not physical theft.

Increasing POS Attacks

Time and technology has allowed POS systems to become more prevalent in small and mid-size businesses. A business owner no longer has to rely on outside parties to provide POS services. POS systems can be purchased outright. POS devices nowadays tend to run on commercially available operating systems like Microsoft Windows. By operating on a standard operating system, POS systems have become easier for hackers to access. And while acquiring POS systems has become easier, a small business’s ability to provide adequate security has not.

Another reason POS attacks are on the rise is because of the increasing demand for prepaid cards. Credit cards have always been targeted by criminals. A prepaid debit card functions just like a normal debit card but is loaded with cash instead of being tied to a bank account. A gift card from your favorite store is an example of a prepaid card. Prepaid cards tend to be harder to trace back to criminals.

Skimming

Skimming is a popular method of stealing POS data. It involves installing additional hardware onto the POS terminal which is then used to read data from payment cards. Skimming requires physical access to the POS and additional equipment. Because of this, it is more difficult to carry out than using malware.

Malware

Malware is another popular method of stealing POS data. Malware is any software used to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems. It’s how hackers gain access to POS systems. The malware attempts to steal the formatted data that is stored on a credit card’s magnetic stripe. Criminals can then re-encode the track data onto counterfeit cards.

How Does This Affect Me?

The moment you swipe a credit or debit card through a card reader at a store is when your personal and financial information becomes vulnerable. Although you intend to give payment to the store, that payment and all related information may be intercepted by criminals. They use malware to steal personal and financial information.

Being aware that your information may have been stolen is the first step to securing yourself against fraudulent purchases. If you have reason to believe that your payment information has been stolen, please contact us using the form on this page or call us at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.

Wal-Mart Robocall Class Action

Wal-Mart is suspected of making unsolicited robocalls to people’s cell phones. The recipients of these calls have not consented to Wal-Mart calling them in such a manner. Making unsolicited robocalls to cell phones is a violation of federal law. If you have received unsolicited artificial or prerecorded voice messages to your cell phone, then the caller has violated your rights. Please contact us using the form on this page or call The Class Action News at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.

Background

It has been reported that Wal-Mart has been making unsolicited automated calls to people’s cell phones. Wal-Mart has been allegedly using an automatic dialing system and prerecorded voice messages to contact individuals about their Wal-Mart cards. However, at least some of the individuals receiving these calls do not have Wal-Mart cards, nor have they otherwise consented to being called by Wal-Mart.

A Georgia man reports that one prerecorded voice message asked him to return the call or visit the store’s credit card website. He called the number provided and an artificial or recorded voice asked for his Wal-Mart credit card number. Since he’s never had one, he didn’t enter one and was then asked to provide his Social Security number. He refused to give it and spoke to a Wal-Mart representative who assured him that he would be removed from Wal-Mart’s contact list. The man received another automated call just a few hours later.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., also known as Walmart, is a multinational retail corporation. It operates more than 11,000 stores in 28 countries. Wal-Mart is the world’s largest company measured by revenue. It is also the biggest private employer in the world with 2.2 million employees.

The TCPA

The TCPA is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991. It is a federal law that sets rules for companies or people making solicitations over the phone. One such rule prohibits making robocalls to any telephone number assigned to cellular telephone service without express prior consent from the person being called. The reasoning behind this is that cell phone services charge money for calls and texts and you, the recipient, shouldn’t have to pay for a call you never wanted.

Robocalls

A robocall is a casual term for an automatic telephone dialing system, or an artificial or prerecorded voice message. Automatic telephone dialing systems are automatic dialers that use random and sequential phone number generators to call people. Artificial or prerecorded voice messages are messages that were made by computer programs or callers that don’t have the time to talk to you directly.

Potential Class Action

Wal-Mart is suspected of making unsolicited robocalls to cell phone numbers. These calls are allegedly made without the recipient’s consent and are a violation of federal law. If you have received unsolicited robocalls to your cell phone, please contact us using the form on this page or call The Class Action News at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.

mSpy Data Breach

The data monitoring company mSpy has suffered a data breach. Hackers have stolen the personal information of an unverified number of mSpy users. If you are an mSpy customer, your information may have been stolen. Please contact us using the form on this page or call The Class Action News at 424-245-5505.

Background
The spyware company mSpy has recently been the target of hackers. Any device that runs an mSpy program has been made vulnerable to data theft. A huge amount of mSpy data has been leaked to the Deep Web, the portion of the World Wide Web that is not seen by standard search engines. Initial reports indicate that the leaked information belongs to more than 400,000 mSpy users, The stolen data includes customer emails, text messages, payment and location data, personal photos, calendar data, corporate emails, call logs, browser history, and private conversations. Basically any information that was on a computer or mobile device with mSpy could have had all of its data stolen. Reports indicate that the data breach is the result of mSpy’s refusal to give in to threats of extortion.

mSpy is a brand of mobile and computer monitoring software for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac OS. mSpy monitors and logs user activity on the client device. After data is logged, it is encrypted and transferred to a remote server. The user can view the data remotely by logging in to a web-based user control panel from any Internet-enabled device. This software is marketed primarily at parents and business owners as a way to monitor smartphone, tablet, and computer usage of their children and employees.

mSpy is basically a means to spy on another person’s electronic device. And it can be used without the other person knowing the mSpy software is there. mSpy can potentially be used for illegal activity. It is because of this that the company suffers a negative reputation. Add to that the company’s recent denial of the existence of a data breach, and you can see why people should be concerned.

Data Breach

A data breach occurs when an unauthorized person views, accesses, or retrieves protected or confidential data belonging to another. Data breaches are also called data leaks or data spills. A common type of data breach is when computer hackers steal information. These are the kinds of incidents you might hear of on the news. Typically, a hacker or group of hackers will target an organization for its access to a person’s personal and financial information.

Potential Class Action

Data monitoring company mSpy has been hacked. The information of at least 400,000 users has been stolen, possibly more. This mSpy hack is especially troubling because each customer of mSpy uses the company software to monitor the data on other devices. So each mSpy customer potentially involves the data of multiple computers or mobile devices.

If you are a user of mSpy, the information of your computers and mobile devices may have been stolen. Please contact us using the form on this page or call us at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.

What is HIPAA?

HIPAA is the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The primary goal of the law is to make it easier for people to keep health insurance, protect the confidentiality and security of healthcare information and help the healthcare industry control administrative costs.

If you believe your protected health information has been disclosed without your consent or has been stolen, please contact us using the form on this page or call The Class Action News at 424-245-5505.

HIPAA Privacy Rule

HIPAA’s Privacy Rule establishes a set of national standards for the protection of certain health information. The Privacy Rule applies to health plans, health care providers, and other organizations that deal with protected health information. Protected health information is a patient’s medical history, other documented health data, health care provisions, and payment information for health care provisions.

Generally, a patient’s protected health information cannot be disclosed to anyone beside the patient without the patient’s consent. However, there are certain situations where this information can be shown to other parties without the patient’s consent.

Protected health information can be disclosed to:
• People like doctors for the treatment and care of the patient
• Public health authorities for preventing or controlling disease
• Law enforcement officials for law enforcement purposes
• Funeral directors, coroners, and medical examiners to identify a deceased person or determine a cause of death
• Medical researchers

Otherwise, organizations with your protected health information must get your consent to disclose the information. This authorization is required for any other reason than the reasons mentioned above. The most common reasons to get a patient’s consent to disclose this information is for psychotherapy treatment, and for marketing.

HIPAA Security Rule

HIPAA’s Security Rule establishes a national set of security standards for protecting certain health information that is held or transferred in electronic form. Where the Privacy Rule protects all protected health information in any form, the Security Rule protects a subset of information covered by the Privacy Rule. The Security Rule protects electronic protected health information, which is the same as protected health information but in electronic form.

Organizations that hold a patient’s electronic protected health information must ensure the confidentiality of this information. The organization has to anticipate threats to security and protect against such threats. Just like the Privacy Rule, electronic protected health information may not be disclosed to unauthorized people.

Personally Identifiable Information

Personally identifiable information (PII) is any data that could potentially identify a specific individual. Any information that can be used to distinguish one person from another and can be used for de-anonymizing anonymous data can be considered personally identifiable information.

How Does HIPAA Affect Me?

Hospitals and health care providers keep patient information to give better medical treatment. This information contains personal and sensitive details about a person’s identity, health, and financial information. The organizations who maintain patient information must take steps to protect the information from unauthorized disclosures. They should be getting a patient’s consent before making most disclosures to outside parties, and should have security measures to prevent theft. Protected health information is a valuable target for thieves and hackers. With that information criminals can use patient information to commit identity theft and fraud.

If you believe your protected health information has been disclosed without your consent or has been stolen, please contact us using the form on this page or call The Class Action News at 424-245-5505.

Telephone Consumer Protection Act

If you have received unwanted calls or text messages from a company using any automated dialing system or prerecorded voice message, you may have a right to file a lawsuit.  Please contact us using the form on this page or call us at 424-245-5505.

Background

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibits any person from making phone calls using an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) or prerecorded voice messages (robocalls) to people without their consent. This includes automated calls to emergency telephone lines, health care facilities, paging services, personal home and cell telephones. Text messages to cell phones using autodialers and prerecorded messages are also prohibited.

The TCPA also protects people by making it illegal to call residential telephone numbers without the recipient’s consent. Additionally, residential subscribers are protected from being charged for giving or revoking their consent.

A person has a right of action in court if a violation of this Act occurred and actual loss of money can be established. This includes any person who has received unwanted automated calls to any telephone number assigned to a paging service, cellular telephone service, specialized mobile radio service, or other radio carrier service more than one telephone call within any 12-month period by or on behalf of the same organization in violation of the regulations.

Pre-recorded voice systems

Pre-recorded voice systems are used to transmit any prerecorded voice message via telephone. TCPA Standards require that they include: 1) an identification of the caller at the beginning of the message, 2) it must clearly state the telephone number or address of the caller, and 3) the system must automatically release the called party’s line within 5 seconds of the time notification.

Database

The law requires the establishment of a single national database of telephone numbers of people who do not want to receive telephone solicitations. This is called the National Do Not Call Registry. If a state creates telephone solicitation laws that use a similar do-not-call list, it has to include the numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry too.

These databases are used as a central holding point for people that do not want to be called by solicitors. Once a name has been added to the database, no additional calls will be made to that number from solicitors.

Potential Class Action
The average person doesn’t like receiving unwanted phone calls from solicitors. If a solicitor makes a call to numbers on a do not call registry, or to homes or cell phones using machines or prerecorded messages, then it’s a violation of federal law. These calls go from being merely annoying to a punishable offense. The good news is that you have legal options.

If you have received unwanted calls or text messages from solicitors using an automatic phone dialing system, or have received calls to your residence that you did not consent to, then your rights may have been infringed. For more information please contact us using the form on this page or call us at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.

What is the TCPA?

TCPA stands for the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991. It is labeled as 47 U.S.C. § 227 in the Code of Laws of the United States. The TCPA sets rules for companies or people making solicitations over the phone. These rules are federal law, so they apply anywhere within the United States and also apply if the caller is outside the U.S. but the recipient is within the U.S.

What Does the TCPA Do?

The TCPA restricts certain conduct by anyone making solicitations over the phone. The main purpose of the TCPA is to protect individuals from unwanted solicitations made by automated calling systems. When phone solicitations are made by these automatic systems, it is informally called a “robocall.”

Robocalls to Certain Recipients

The first major area the TCPA governs is making robocalls to certain recipients. The law makes it illegal to make a call using automatic dialing systems, artificial voices, or prerecorded voices to any emergency line. The term “emergency lines” includes 911 lines, fire protection lines, law enforcement lines, and emergency lines belonging to hospitals, medical physicians and their offices, health care facilities, and poison control centers. The TCPA also prohibits robocalls to a patient’s room in hospitals, clinics, and elderly homes. It is also prohibited to robocall cell phone numbers, pager numbers, or any other number where the recipient is charged for the call.

Robocalls Without Consent

The other major area the TCPA governs is making robocalls to people without their consent. Generally, it is illegal to make a robocall to a residential phone line without the consent of the recipient. This rule is subject to a few minor exceptions.

Additional Rules

The TCPA also has rules about the use of fax machines, computers, and similar devices. Using any of these devices to make unsolicited robocalls is illegal under the TCPA. However, like most of the legal field, there are exceptions to the rule. Unsolicited robocalls to people that already have a business relationship with the caller are okay, and will not be in violation of the TCPA. Also, if the robocaller obtains the recipient’s fax number or computer address through the recipient’s voluntary communication of the information, then the robocall is not in violation of the TCPA.
Lastly, a minor rule of the TCPA prohibits making robocalls that tie up multiple phone lines of a business.

How Does the TCPA Affect Me?

Unsolicited phone calls from advertisers are not uncommon and most people find them annoying or inconvenient to say the least. When you pick up the phone and it’s a prerecorded message or robotic voice, then it shows that the caller didn’t even care enough to put a real person on the line. This can cause further annoyance. At that point, the average person will hang up the phone, chalk it up to poor business practices, and move on. However, businesses that robocall you without your consent are actually violating federal law. You have legal options. Filing a lawsuit over an annoyance might seem like overblowing the situation, but consider the fact that robocallers could be doing the same thing to hundreds of other people. You can stop these unsolicited robocalls.

If you have been robocalled without your consent, please contact us using the form on this page or call us at 424-245-5505. You may be part of a class action lawsuit.