Quest Diagnostics reports cyber breach affecting patient records

Medical laboratory operator Quest Diagnostics said it detected unauthorized access to its Quanum Lab Services Manager system, a platform used by clients to order tests and view results. The breach was discovered on Wednesday and reported in a regulatory filing on Thursday, after the company alerted federal law enforcement.

Quest Diagnostics indicated that "certain patient records" may have been accessed, but the number of individuals affected and the specific data involved remain under investigation. The firm is working with external cybersecurity specialists to assess the incident.

The company previously experienced data breaches in 2016, affecting about 34,000 people, and in 2019, when personal information of roughly 11.9 million patients was exposed through a breach at a billing collections service. Quest said its current investigation shows the breach is unrelated to recent vulnerabilities discovered in the PHP programming language.

"We are actively investigating the incident and have engaged law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to respond," a Quest Diagnostics spokesperson said.

The incident adds to a broader trend of rising cyberattacks across sectors, prompting heightened security efforts by governments and businesses worldwide.