The Chicago Department of Public Health said some people’s private medical information may have been exposed on one of its online dashboards.
On Oct. 8 of last year, CDPH was made aware of an “inadvertent potential disclosure of sensitive information used to generate statistics related to public health and safety,” the city health agency said.
An investigation determined that a visitor could access personal data on the dashboard if they took “certain steps” while looking through the statistical information, CDPH said.
“The types of information that may have been present on the impacted systems include a combination of certain individuals’ names and medical information,” CDPH said.
The department did not say how many people’s information may have been exposed and did not provide further details on the type of dashboard.
The agency said it has reviewed its policies and procedures to “reduce the risk of a similar event from occurring in the future,” adding that “all potential public access to the data has been disabled.”
CDPH said it was unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of that data.
“We are providing information about the event, steps taken since discovering the event, and what you can do to better protect against potential misuse of your personal information, should you feel it is appropriate to do so,” CDPH said.
The agency is offering a year of complimentary access to credit monitoring services through IDX, a ZeroFox company, to individuals who may have been affected.
People who wish to sign up for the credit monitoring service can call (877) 741-1109.