{"id":8249,"date":"2025-10-08T10:50:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T10:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/?page_id=8249"},"modified":"2026-01-02T18:22:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T18:22:16","slug":"security-incident","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/security-incident\/","title":{"rendered":"Security Incident"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"8249\" class=\"elementor elementor-8249\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e8c74ae elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e8c74ae\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-narrow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-18206ab\" data-id=\"18206ab\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a309a6a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a309a6a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Security Incident<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-25a3753 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"25a3753\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What is a HIPAA Security Incident?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-62d615c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"62d615c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A security incident under HIPAA is any attempted or successful unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, or destruction of electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI). It also includes interference with an organization\u2019s information systems that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of ePHI.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In simpler terms, a security incident is any event that threatens the protection of PHI, even if it doesn\u2019t result in a confirmed breach.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Healthcare organizations are prime targets for cyberattacks because PHI is extremely valuable on the black market (many times more valuable than credit card numbers). But not all incidents come from external hackers; many are caused by human error or insider misuse.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-838df58 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"838df58\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How security incidents impact Healthcare\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b3b6aea elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b3b6aea\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the biggest impacts that security incidents can have on healthcare is that they erode patient trust. Patients expect confidentiality rules to be followed by the organizations they trust with their information. Secondly, they trigger <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/hipaa-compliance\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HIPAA compliance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> obligations, which require work that distracts from standard duties in patient care. Incidents that escalate into breaches require notifications under HIPAA\u2019s Breach Notification Rule.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Large-scale data breaches can cause system downtime that can delay diagnoses or treatments. These often attract regulatory scrutiny from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which investigates how organizations respond to incidents, not just the incidents themselves.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-182fdee elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"182fdee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Examples of HIPAA Security Incidents\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-41e7da3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"41e7da3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>1. Cybersecurity Threats<\/strong><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phishing emails targeting staff credentials.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ransomware attempting to encrypt patient records.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Malware infections spreading through unsecured medical devices.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>2. Unauthorized Access Attempts<\/strong><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An employee tries to access records outside their job role.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A terminated staff member\u2019s login remains active and is used maliciously.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>3. System Disruptions<\/strong><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Power outage or server failure preventing access to ePHI.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Denial-of-service attacks slowing down patient portals.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>4. Human Error<\/strong><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PHI emailed to the wrong recipient.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Misconfigured cloud storage exposing patient files.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not all of these incidents automatically count as breaches, but they all must be identified, documented, and addressed.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8ed3138\" data-id=\"8ed3138\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-181e7af elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"181e7af\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Related Terms<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-71ae1dc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"71ae1dc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/hipaa-security-rule\/\">HIPAA Security Rule<\/a><\/strong><\/p><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/incident-response-plan\/\">Incident Response Plan<\/a><\/strong><\/p><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/malware-protection\/\">Malware Protection<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-287408e8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"287408e8\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-24c57564\" data-id=\"24c57564\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-782451cc elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"782451cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Is Your Team Properly Trained in HIPAA Compliance?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7db670d5 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet__width-initial elementor-widget-mobile__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7db670d5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Brightsquid supports thousands of healthcare organizations with practical privacy compliance training that helps prevent breaches and improve efficiency.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5cc54e9d elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"5cc54e9d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"\/us\/hipaa-breach-prevention-training\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Get HIPAA Training Support <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Security Incident What is a HIPAA Security Incident? A security incident under HIPAA is any attempted or successful unauthorized access, use, disclosure, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8249","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is a Security Incident | Brightsquid<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn what counts as a security incident under HIPAA and what measures must be taken under those circumstances to maintain HIPAA compliance.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/security-incident\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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