Families concerned after data from thousands of Children's Mercy patients breached
So far, none of that information has been used.
So far, none of that information has been used.
So far, none of that information has been used.
Little Cooper Watson is just one of the more than 60,000 people who might have had their personal information and medical records hacked at Children's Mercy Hospital.
The hospital said the incident happened after staff member opened phishing e-mails that sent that data back out to scammers.
The hospital says so far, none of the stolen information has been used, but families are still on edge with that information in the hands of others.
"I don't know how often it happens, to get credit cards and stuff in kids names, but someone could essentially do that because they have his social security number, his birthday, and our address, which is kind of scary," said Cooper's mom, Nikki Watson.
For Cooper, and everyone else possibly affected, the hospital is offering free identity protection. But, IT security companies say these data breaches are becoming more common.
Ashley Lang with Kansas City Managed IT says there are ways to stay safe, like signing up for credit monitoring, and being smart with passwords.
"It's definitely going to require a lot more work on their side to make sure they continue to be protected," said Ashley.
Those are all little things Cooper's family will now worry about.
"It was just really nerve-wracking and scary that that happened to him," said Nikki.