Recently, the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (“UMass Chan”) posted a website notice describing a data breach resulting from the organization's use of MOVEit, a file transfer program created by Progress Software. In this notice, UMass Chan explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, Social Security numbers and financial account information. However, the leaked data types vary by individual. Upon completing its investigation, UMass Chan began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

If you received a letter discussing a MOVEit breach at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft as well as discuss your legal options following the MOVEit / UMass Chan Medical School data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Data Breach Affecting UMass Chan Medical School?

The MOVEit / UMass Chan Medical School data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, UMass Chan’s website notice provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, UMass Chan provides services to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (“EOHHS”). UMass Chan used MOVEit to transfer files to certain EOHHS agencies and programs.

While the UMass Chan notice doesn’t mention the cause of the incident, back in May 2023, Progress Software discovered a critical vulnerability within MOVEit that allowed unauthorized parties to access information stored on certain MOVEit servers.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, UMass Chan Medical School reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, Social Security number and financial account information.

According to the UMass Chan notice, the incident impacted more than 134,000 Massachusetts residents who are currently or were recently enrolled in certain state programs and services.

On August 15, 2023, UMass Chan Medical School sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.

More Information About University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

First established in 1970, the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School is a public medical school in Worcester, Massachusetts. UMass Chan is further broken down into three schools: the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing. UMass Chan enrolls more than 1,000 students in medicine, biomedical sciences, nursing and MD/PhD programs each year.