Medicare Data Breach Exposes Over 100,000 Beneficiaries in Major Cyber Incident
A significant cyberattack has compromised the personal data of more than 103,000 Medicare beneficiaries, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The breach occurred through Maximus Federal Services, a government contractor, after hackers exploited a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer software. Exposed data includes names, Medicare numbers, Social Security numbers, and birth dates. While there is no confirmed misuse of the information yet, CMS has begun notifying affected individuals and is offering free credit monitoring services. This incident highlights the growing risk posed by third-party vendors and the ongoing challenge of timely software patching in critical infrastructure environments like healthcare. CMS has stated it is strengthening oversight and response protocols to prevent future compromises.