Quest Diagnostics, a leader in medical lab testing, has confirmed a data breach that compromised sensitive patient information within its systems. The breach, which targets the Quanum laboratory testing system, was disclosed in an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Quanum is widely used by healthcare providers to request lab tests and process billing, storing a vast amount of patient health records and related data. Quest has reported the incident to law enforcement and is conducting an investigation to understand the full scope of the breach.

This incident is the latest in a string of cyberattacks on the healthcare sector this year, highlighting the ongoing threat to medical data security. Cybercriminals have increasingly targeted health tech companies to steal sensitive data, often threatening to release it unless a ransom is paid. Notably, the healthcare industry has witnessed significant disruptions, such as the mass-wiping of employee devices at Stryker and network shutdowns at Boston Scientific.

While Quest has not disclosed the exact number of affected patients or healthcare providers, Quanum is reportedly used by half a million clinicians across North America. The extent of the data compromised remains unclear, with Quest still investigating which specific types of patient information were accessed. This marks the second major data breach for Quest in recent years, following a 2019 incident where almost 12 million patient records were exposed through a third-party billing company.

Quest has not provided details on when the breach occurred or if any hacking group has made ransom demands. The company’s spokesperson, Amanda Rivera, declined to answer questions regarding the incident, directing inquiries to a security notice on their website. As the investigation continues, Quest aims to determine the full impact and prevent future breaches of this scale.