Personal data of 148,000 people leaked in breach at 2 Hong Kong hearing centres
Widex Hong Kong Hearing and Speech Centre and subsidiary Starry Hearing and Speech Centre say they were among outlets hit by breach in July
The personal data of more than 148,000 customers and employees at two hearing and speech centres in Hong Kong has been leaked in a ransomware attack, the city’s privacy watchdog has said.
Widex Hong Kong Hearing and Speech Centre and its subsidiary, Starry Hearing and Speech Centre, announced in August that it had suffered a ransomware attack on July 5 that had encrypted their internal system data and impacted their applications.
While the centres did not disclose the number of people affected, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data estimated on Monday that about 148,000 customers and between 30 and 50 current and former employees had been affected.
The watchdog said the figures were based on preliminary information provided by the affected centres, with the final tally still under investigation. It added that it was notified of the incident on July 30.
The breach is suspected to have potentially exposed customer information such as their names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, audiologists and hearing device records.
The leaked data of current and former Widex employees comprised their names, salary details, retirement benefits, bonuses and bank account numbers.
