Medical Alert System Provider Lifeline Facing Class Action Over Cyberattack Affecting 74K

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Lifeline Systems Company has been hit with a class action lawsuit over a cyberattack discovered in August 2022 that reportedly impacted the personal data of approximately 74,000 individuals.

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The 61-page lawsuit says the data breach experienced by the company, which offers a range of in-home and mobile medical alert systems, has compromised current and former customers’ full names, dates of birth, contact information, treatment and health condition data, health insurance details and Lifeline subscription information.

According to a notice letter sent to victims, the Massachusetts-based healthcare company launched an investigation after it detected suspicious activity in its network on August 6 of last year. Lifeline subsequently concluded that an unauthorized third party gained access to its system and exfiltrated certain files stored there between July 27 and August 6, the notice says.

The suit argues that the “foreseeable and preventable” incident stemmed from the defendant’s failure to implement sufficient data security protocols to protect the consumer information in its care. The data stored in its network was allegedly unencrypted and maintained in a manner that was “vulnerable to cyberattacks,” the case contends.

The plaintiff, an Illinois resident and former Lifeline subscriber, received notice from the company on September 7, 2023, informing her that her personal information had been exposed in the breach, the complaint says.

As the filing tells it, the notice letter was inadequate and failed to explain how cybercriminals gained access to the network, why Lifeline delayed notifying victims for over a year after the incident was purportedly discovered and what steps are being taken to safeguard stored data in the future.

Like other affected individuals, the plaintiff is now at a greater risk of identity theft, fraud and other illegal schemes as a result of Lifeline’s alleged negligence, the suit claims.

“[The plaintiff] and Class Members now face years of constant surveillance of their financial and personal records, monitoring, and loss of rights,” the case charges. “The class is incurring and will continue to incur such damages in addition to any fraudulent use of their Private Information.”

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States whose personal information was compromised in the data breach first announced by Lifeline Systems Company in September 2023.

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