[News](/news) 45,000 patients potentially impacted by data breach [Blog](/blog)[Breaches](/breaches)[Resources](/resources)[News](/news) # 45,000 patients potentially impacted by data breach ##### [Edward Kost](/team/edward-kost) February 28, 2021 Covenant Healthcare suffered a data breach incident after the email accounts of two employees were compromised in May 2020.  In a [public statement](https://www.covenanthealthcare.com/ch/notice-of-data-security-incident), Covenant Healthcare revealed that the breach included sensitive patient information. “The impacted email accounts that were accessed contained personal information, specifically names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, medical diagnosis and clinical information, medical treatment information, prescription information, doctors’ names, medical record numbers, patient account numbers, and medical insurance information.” Healthcare staff are often tricked into introducing malicious threats into internal systems. The trickery almost always involves a fraudulent email that seems like it was sent by a reliable source, a cyberattack method known as phishing. Upon responding to such emails, which could involve downloading attachments or [clicking on its links](https://www.upguard.com/blog/what-is-clickjacking), dormant malicious software is set free to exfiltrate [sensitive data](https://www.upguard.com/blog/sensitive-data), or most commonly, [launch a ransomware attack](https://www.upguard.com/blog/what-is-ransomware-as-a-service). But there’s a simple solution that could finally blunt the [concerning healthcare cyber attack trend](https://www.upguard.com/news/cybercriminals-targeting-australian-health-sector). Healthcare staff are the most common gateways to cyberattacks so if they’re trained to identify the warning signs of an attack attempt, data breach incidents could be minimized. The following resources can be used to educate health workers about common cyberattack methods:: * [Phishing attacks](https://www.upguard.com/blog/phishing) * [Social Engineering Attacks](https://www.upguard.com/blog/social-engineering) * [DDoS attacks](https://www.upguard.com/blog/is-ddosing-illegal) * [Ransomware attacks](https://www.upguard.com/blog/ransomware) * [Malware attacks](https://www.upguard.com/blog/malware) * [Clickjacking attacks](https://www.upguard.com/blog/what-is-clickjacking) By responding to exasperating cyberattack incidents, the health sector isn’t capable of efficiently treating Covid-19 patients. A dedicated effort to mitigating cyber threats could be the key to solving the global Covid treatment congestion crisis. ## How secure is Covenant Healthcare? Covenant Healthcare operates a hospital system providing medical services across multiple specialties including emergency care, cancer treatment, cardiology, surgery, maternity services, and rehabilitation. The organization also runs urgent care centers under the MedExpress brand and offers home health, hospice, and assisted living services. * View our free preliminary report on Covenant Healthcare’s security posture * 13 risk factors, including email security, SSL, DNS health, open ports and common vulnerabilities [View Covenant Healthcare's score](/security-report/covenant-healthcare) [View score](/security-report/covenant-healthcare) [https://www.covenanthealthcare.com/](/security-report/covenant-healthcare) ### Sign up for our newsletter UpGuard's monthly newsletter cuts through the noise and brings you what matters most: our breaking research, in-depth analysis of emerging threats, and actionable strategic insights. ## Latest news Stay up-to-date with the latest news in cybersecurity. [](/news/hugging-face-data-breach-2026-07-20) #### [Hugging Face data breach: key facts and what we know so far](/news/hugging-face-data-breach-2026-07-20) A data breach involving Hugging Face was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 20, 2026 [](/news/ey-data-breach-2026-07-19) #### [EY data breach: what happened and what's at risk](/news/ey-data-breach-2026-07-19) A data breach involving EY was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 15, 2026 [](/news/south-florida-injury-convenient-care-data-breach-2026-07-16) #### [South Florida Injury & Convenient Care data breach exposes names and Social Security numbers](/news/south-florida-injury-convenient-care-data-breach-2026-07-16) A data breach involving South Florida Injury & Convenient Care was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 15, 2026 [](/news/park-west-psychology-data-breach-2026-07-16) #### [Park West Psychology data breach: what happened and what's at risk](/news/park-west-psychology-data-breach-2026-07-16) A data breach involving Park West Psychology was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 15, 2026 [](/news/fall-river-municipal-credit-union-data-breach-2026-07-16) #### [Fall River Municipal Credit Union data breach: what happened and what's at risk](/news/fall-river-municipal-credit-union-data-breach-2026-07-16) A data breach involving Fall River Municipal Credit Union was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [](#) July 14, 2026 [](/news/npcil-data-breach-2026-07-16) #### [NPCIL data breach: World Leaks claims exposure of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant files](/news/npcil-data-breach-2026-07-16) A data breach involving NPCIL was reported in July 2026. See incident details, impact on customers, and recommended security measures. ##### [UpGuard Team](/team/upguard) July 14, 2026 [View all news](/news) ## Protect your organization Get in touch or book a free demo. [Contact sales](/demo) [Free demo](/demo) ##### Free instant security score ## How secure is your organization? Request a free cybersecurity report to discover key risks on your website, email, network, and brand. * Instant insights you can act on immediately * Hundreds of risk factors including email security, SSL, DNS health, open ports and common vulnerabilities [Free score](/instant-security-score)