Hackers Access Personal Health Info From Online Pharmacy

Customers of PlanetDrugsDirect have been emailed and direct mailed a warning to monitor their credit card and banking statements after the company suffered a data breach. As a member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) PlanetDrugsDirect offers online prescription referral services to an approximate 400,000 customers. The number of those affected by the breach has yet to be determined but the compromised data is said to be highly sensitive in nature, including Personal Health Information (PHI), ID and financial info. The compromised data is comprehensive enough to provide hackers with a reasonable profit from selling it on the Dark Web or even using it in further individually targeted attacks.

Amid the chaos of the breach, PlanetDrugsDirect has been fairly vague, keeping a tight lip on the details of the breach. Backlash is sure to follow as affected customers and authorities will be looking for answers.

If you have been affected by this breach, it is important to notify your financial institution of the breach. Keeping an eye on your account and changing passwords will be key to minimizing the risks of the compromised data.

By some standards, the response to customers was quite quick, however, the lack of details and knowledge of how the company is responding raises questions and will only create further reputational damages. For PlanetDrugsDirect, regulatory ire and even penalties may ensue as the company continues to deal with this breach.

Update January 28: As of today, the company’s website is still offline to “protect itself from online attackers.” It is highly likely that the company has been facing mounting downtime costs for weeks since the original article was written 12 days ago.