The Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), is set to send a notice to Health Solutions, a private pathology laboratory after data of 43,000 patients — including sensitive information about HIV patients — got leaked online after their unprotected server in the US was hacked. On December 5, mid-day published a report on how hackers used new modus operandi to blackmail patients by procuring their sensitive reports through illegal means. Following this, a three-day investigation was conducted by the officials.

The matter came to light at the beginning of this month, when cyber expert, Troy Hunt, exposed that a hacker had leaked sensitive details of over 43,000 patients across India but mostly from Mumbai. The data was easily available on search engines with their names, addresses and pathology reports. Cyber and medical experts claim that the intention might be to use the data to blackmail patients with their reports. In fact, industry insiders also revealed that it is not uncommon for labs to hire hackers to expose and defame their competitors.