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RansomHub has claimed a cyber attack on reproductive healthcare provider Planned Parenthood, posting samples of business data as proof.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America is a large non-profit that provides healthcare and support for those requiring sexual healthcare. The organisation is the largest single provider of abortions in the US and provides treatment for those who have suffered from sexual crimes and abuse.
On 4 September, RansomHub listed Planned Parenthood on its dark web leak site, claiming to have stolen 93 gigabytes of data and threatening to publish it in a week.
The group appears to have specifically exfiltrated data from Planned Parenthood of Montana, and it posted documents to back its claims.
The samples include financial documents such as budgets, payroll and expenses, a legal document referring to a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood, and an insurance document.
Within these documents are personal details, including first and last names and addresses of their places of work.
While Planned Parenthood is yet to release a public statement, Martha Fuller, the CEO and president of Planned Parenthood of Montana, told CyberNews that it was aware of the incident and was investigating.
“On August 28, 2024, Planned Parenthood of Montana (PPMT) identified a cyber security incident affecting our IT systems,” she said, adding that the company began its incident response by taking systems offline and that the investigation was ongoing.
Planned Parenthood is also aware of the RansomHub listing.
“[We] want to assure our community that we are taking this matter very seriously. We have reported this incident to federal law enforcement and will support their investigation,” she said.
Cyber Daily has reached out to Planned Parenthood for additional commentary.
The Planned Parenthood leak comes ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, which could see former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has made comments about the possibility of prosecuting women who have abortions, return to power.
As highlighted by Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in her campaign advertisements, Trump has commented on making abortions illegal across the country.
The ad shows a number of headlines from major US mastheads, including “Trump says states might monitor pregnancies to track abortions” and “Trump says states could prosecute women for abortions under his watch”.
While retroactive prosecution is generally prohibited, if RansomHub were to leak customer names, it could put customers in danger, legally and socially.
Additionally, those from states that banned abortion following the overturn of Roe v Wade who travelled to Montana for abortions could also be at risk of harm.
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