Thousands of people’s health records in Florida, including their HIV status, have been exposed on the dark web following a significant hack of the Florida Department of Health two weeks ago, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The breach targeted multiple clinics, including one in Jacksonville. Hackers demanded an undisclosed amount of money, threatening to release the sensitive information if their demands were not met.
The leaked documents are reported to be the most up-to-date records available. Mobeen Rathore, the Founding Director of the University of Florida Center for HIV/AIDS Research, highlighted the gravity of the situation, emphasizing the critical importance of confidentiality.
“Any information that’s confidential is sensitive, but with HIV, unfortunately, the stigma that goes along with that is really concerning. I think it also would be concerning that people are going to be less likely to come forward and want to get tested if they feel their information isn’t secured,” Rathore told Action News Jax.
