The Heartbleed Internet security flaw is back in headlines after 4.5 million patients of Community Health Systems had personal data taken by hackers tapping the vulnerability.
Security experts say it is the first such attack on a massive scale since the Internet flaw was discovered April and exposed half a million secure servers to password theft
According to analysts, the hackers were able to get into the healthcare provider's systems via Heartbleed in the equipment manufactured by Juniper Networks.
The attack took place in April and June.
TrustedSec Chief Executive Officer David Kennedy says the investigation into the breach has confirmed Heartbleed was tapped by the hackers.
According to Kennedy, the hackers grabbed log-in data after posing as employees. The hackers also took social security numbers and other personal patient data.
Community Health Systems says the information stolen ranges from patient names, addresses, birth dates and phone numbers. The breach affects patient who have received services from the healthcare provider over the past five years.
The healthcare company confirmed they believe Chinese hackers were responsible for the breach of security.
In Apirl, fears began to grow that the healthcare.gov website was under threat by hackers via Heartbleed, which resulted in the government stepping up its efforts to ensure full security on the site, Tech Times reports.
The White House repeatedly said there was no evidence that a breach of personal information had taken place.
"Recently, you may have heard about a new Internet security weakness, known as Heartbleed, which is impacting some websites," a published statement from HealthCare.gov said at the time, urging Americans to remain vigilant against any potential threat to their personal information.
Community Health Systems has yet to make a public statement on the situation beyond confirmation.
