Quest Diagnostics warns of potential data theft after attack on lab service system

Quest Diagnostics discovered unauthorized access to its Quanum Lab Services Manager (LSM) system on Thursday, a critical platform used for placing test orders and accessing results. The company immediately took the system offline while investigating the incident, warning customers that "some patient data" within the system may have been accessed.

While only the LSM system was directly impacted, Quest paused several other systems as investigators probed the breach. The company stated that no other parts of its operations were affected and emphasized that the incident did not involve recent PHP vulnerabilities causing concern in cybersecurity circles.

Investigation and Response

Quest is working with law enforcement to resolve the incident and determine what specific patient information was compromised. The company has pledged to restore the Quanum system by Friday, offering paper requisitions as an alternative in the meantime.

We believe some patient data within the system was accessed.

Broader Context

As one of the largest clinical laboratories in the U.S. with over $11 billion in annual revenue, Quest serves half of American doctors and hospitals and one in three U.S. adults annually. The company is not alone in facing cyber threats, as Baylor Genetics recently reported a breach affecting 2.8 million patients.

In response to these attacks and others over the past two years, Congress passed a bill this month expanding federal cybersecurity requirements for healthcare organizations handling patient data. No hacking group has claimed responsibility for the Quest incident as of Thursday afternoon.