More than 405,000 participants in the cervical cancer screening program will receive a letter from Bevolkingsonderzoek Nederland (Dutch Population Screening) by today at the latest. Their data was involved in the cyber incident at the Clinical Diagnostics laboratory. The organization is calling on people to be alert to possible fraud.
Elza den Hertog, chair of the Executive Board, emphasizes the urgency of the situation: “We want to inform everyone as soon as possible, but unfortunately, we are not yet able to link the sometimes limited data we have received from the laboratory to participants in the cervical cancer screening program.”
Malicious parties could misuse illegally obtained personal data for fraudulent activities. The national government provides detailed information on its website about what victims can do if they suspect misuse of their data.
Data collection affected
Of the more than 485,000 victims of the data breach at Clinical Diagnostics, 405,000 records can now be linked to participants in the population screening program. The remaining 80,000 records from the data breach file are still being investigated. The Dutch Population Screening Program has requested additional information from the laboratory in order to carry out this linking process with the utmost care.
The laboratory processed smear tests and self-tests from women on behalf of the research organization. Hackers gained access to the systems and stole the data. The data breach was only reported a month after it was discovered, which led to sharp criticism.
Continuity of the study
The cyber incident has no impact on the results that participants have already received or will receive. Women who have already been screened do not need to participate in the population screening again.
Tests from new participants are now being processed by another laboratory. This ensures that the population screening for cervical cancer can continue without further disruption for women who wish to be screened.