Highly sensitive medical data, including almost 200,000 pictures of patients in Switzerland, have ended up on unsecured servers, according to research. Worldwide, data from several million patients are affected.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/AFP/ts
Anyone with basic computer skills can access the documents, including breast cancer screenings, spinal images, chest x-rays or cardiac pacemakers, said German public broadcaster Bayerischer RundfunkExternal link on Tuesday based on the its research with US investigative news platform ProPublicaExternal link.
In Switzerland two systems with 1,500 patient data sets and a total of 197,000 images are affected, according to the report.
The images are high-resolution and contain a great deal of information, almost all of which is personal data: date of birth, first and last name, date of examination and information about the treating physician or the treatment itself.
“Unlike some of the more infamous recent security breaches, in which hackers circumvented a company’s cyber defenses, these records were often stored on servers that lacked the security precautions that long ago became standard for businesses and government agencies,” wrote ProPublica.
‘Irresponsible’
Worldwide, the scale is much larger, with servers all over the world left unprotected.
According to the report, 590 archive systems reveal 24.5 million data records. Patients from the United States are particularly affected.
Although ProPublica found no evidence that patient data was copied from these systems and published elsewhere, it said the consequences of unauthorised access to such information could be devastating.
“Medical records are one of the most important areas for privacy because they’re so sensitive. Medical knowledge can be used against you in malicious ways: to shame people, to blackmail people,” said Cooper Quintin, a security researcher and senior staff technologist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital-rights group.
“This is so utterly irresponsible,” he said.
More
More
Study warns of risks of wearable health trackers
This content was published on
Watches and armbands that measure various health metrics could lead to discrimination.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss companies razzed for bad data management
This content was published on
The Big Brother Awards for failure to protect client data have been announced, with several prominent Swiss institutions winning the uncoveted prizes.
Your employer might be watching you. Should you care?
This content was published on
The new wave of workplace data analytics is raising tough questions in Switzerland with its strong culture of trust and privacy.
This content was published on
Recent scandal of Cambridge Analytica using Facebook data has given impetus to projects designed to give people control of their private information.
This content was published on
Big data is about to bring a wealth of opportunities to Switzerland thanks to investments in research. Efforts are also underway to control the risks.
Swiss insurers offer discounts for sharing health data
This content was published on
Strict data protection laws in Switzerland have not dissuaded the first pioneers from testing the waters on participatory health data sharing. Currently, two companies – CSS and Swica – offer Swiss consumers the chance to lower their health insurance premiums by attaining physical activity goals monitored by wearable devices. CSS was the first to introduce…
This content was published on
He won 139 votes in a secret ballot in a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate on Wednesday. More than 50 parliamentarians came out against his nomination by the government last November. Addressing the media, Lobsiger said his role was to raise awareness of the risks and opportunities of the use…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.