09/06/2024

Therapy Sessions Exposed by Mental Healthcare Firm’s Unsecured Database

Confidant Health's records have been breached

Thousands of people’s highly sensitive health details, including audio and video of therapy sessions, were openly accessible on the internet, new research has revealed. The cache of information, associated with a U.S. healthcare firm, included more than 120,000 files and more than 1.7 million activity logs.

At the end of August, security researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered the exposed trove of information in an unsecured database linked to virtual medical provider Confidant Health. The company, which operates across five states including Connecticut, Florida and Texas, helps provide alcohol- and drug-addiction recovery, alongside mental health treatments and other services.

Within the 5.3 terabytes of exposed data were extremely personal details about patients that go beyond personal therapy sessions. Files seen by Fowler included multiple-page reports of people’s psychiatry intake notes and details of the medical histories. "At the bottom of some of the documents it said 'confidential health data,'" Fowler said.

Please select this link to read the complete article from WIRED.