30 OctOber 17 - 23, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Texas Spine Consultants (“TSC”) Provides Notice of Data Security Incident DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 17, 2024 / DALLAS OBSERVER – Texas Spine Consultants (“TSC”) is a full-service orthopedic center specializing in all conditions that afect the spine. TSC announced today that it experienced a cybersecurity incident that may involve the personal and protected health information of some patients it serves. As such, TSC will mail notice of this incident to potentially impacted individuals and is providing resources to assist them. TSC sincerely regrets any inconvenience that this incident may cause and remains dedicated to protecting all personal and health information. On or about May 13, 2024, Texas Spine Consultants, PLLC detected unusual activity with one of its employee’s email accounts. Upon discovery of this incident, TSC promptly engaged a specialized third-party cybersecurity frm and IT vendor to assist with securing the email account in question, as well as to conduct a comprehensive forensic investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. The forensics investigation determined that certain patient data contained in the email account was accessible by an unauthorized actor. Based on the fndings of the forensic investigation, TSC engaged a third party to conduct a comprehensive review of the contents of the email account to identify specifc individuals and types of information that may have been impacted. This data mining process was completed on September 5, 2024. Since that time, TSC has been thoroughly reviewing its fles to obtain last known addresses to mail notice to afected individuals and to remove duplicates from the list. The review of the contents of the compromised email account revealed that the type of information that was subject to unauthorized access was primarily limited to patients’ names, date of birth, medical information, and health insurance information. The information did not include patient social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, fnancial account information, or credit or debit card information. Out of an abundance of caution, TSC is providing notifcation to all potentially impacted patients. TSC takes the security of patient information very seriously, and has taken steps to prevent a similar event from occurring in the future. Since the discovery of the incident, TSC moved quickly to investigate, respond, and confrm the security of our systems. Specifcally, TSC engaged a specialized cybersecurity frm and IT personnel to conduct a forensic investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. Additionally, TSC changed all user credentials, trained or retrained workforce members, enhanced the security measures (including MFA), and took steps and will continue to take steps to mitigate the risk of future harm. TSC will be mailing letters to potentially impacted individuals that includes steps that they can take to protect their information. In order to address any patient concerns and mitigate any exposure or risk of harm following this incident, TSC has arranged for complimentary credit monitoring services, Dark Web monitoring services, and identity theft protection services for a period of twelve (12) months. TSC encourages individuals to enroll in these complimentary services. For more information about tips to protect from identity theft, please visit TSC’s website at https://www.tscspine.com/. For individuals seeking more information about the incident, please call TSC’s dedicated toll- free helpline at -877-225-2133, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Central Standard Time, Monday through Friday, excluding U.S. national holidays. Sincerely, Texas Spine Consultants ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO HELP PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION MONITOR YOUR ACCOUNTS We recommend that you remain vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by regularly reviewing your credit reports and fnancial accounts for any suspicious activity. You should contact the reporting agency using the phone number on the credit report if you fnd any inaccuracies with your information or if you do not recognize any of the account activity. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com, calling toll-free at 1-877-322-8228, or by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at www.annualcreditreport.com) to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281. You may also purchase a copy of your credit report for a fee by contacting one or more of the three national credit reporting agencies. MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 302270473V.1 You have rights under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FCRA governs the collection and use of information about you that is reported by consumer reporting agencies. You can obtain additional information about your rights under the FCRA by visiting https:// www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/statutes/fair-credit-reporting-act. CREDIT FREEZE You have the right to add, temporarily lift and remove a credit freeze, also known as a security freeze, on your credit report at no cost. A credit freeze prevents all third parties, such as credit lenders or other companies, whose use is not exempt under law, from accessing your credit fle without your consent. If you have a freeze, you must remove or temporarily lift it to apply for credit. Spouses can request freezes for each other as long as they pass authentication. You can also request a freeze for someone if you have a valid Power of Attorney. If you are a parent/guardian/representative, you can request a freeze for a minor 15 and younger. To add a security freeze on your credit report you must make a separate request to each of the three national consumer reporting agencies by phone, online, or by mail by following the instructions found at their websites (see “Contact Information” below). The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze: (i) full name, with middle initial and any sufxes; (ii) Social Security number; (iii) date of birth (month, day, and year); (iv) current address and any previous addresses for the past fve (5) years; (v) proof of current address (such as a copy of a government-issued identifcation card, a recent utility or telephone bill, or bank or insurance statement); and (vi) other personal information as required by the applicable credit reporting agency. FRAUD ALERT You have the right to add, extend, or remove a fraud alert on your credit fle at no cost. A fraud alert is a statement that is added to your credit fle that will notify potential credit grantors that you may be or have been a victim of identity theft. Before they extend credit, they should use reasonable procedures to verify your identity. Please note that, unlike a credit freeze, a fraud alert only notifes lenders to verify your identity before extending new credit, but it does not block access to your credit report. Fraud alerts are free to add and are valid for one year. Victims of identity theft can obtain an extended fraud alert for seven years. You can add a fraud alert by sending your request to any one of the three national reporting agencies by phone, online, or by mail by following the instructions found at their websites (see “Contact Information” below). The agency you contact will then contact the other credit agencies. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION For more information about credit freezes and fraud alerts and other steps you can take to protect yourself against identity theft, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338), TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to fle a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to fle such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You should also report instances of known or suspected identity theft to local law enforcement and the Attorney General’s ofce in your home state and you have the right to fle a police report and obtain a copy of your police report. CONTACT INFORMATION Below is the contact information for the three national credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) if you would like to add a fraud alert or credit freeze to your credit report. MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 302270473V.1