Scams & Phishing News Centers Laboratory Data Breach Affects 540,000 Individuals

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Content source

https://www.securityweek.com/centers-laboratory-data-breach-affects-540000-individuals/

Healthcare diagnostics company Centers Laboratory (Centers Lab NJ LLC) has informed the US government that a data breach discovered nearly one year ago affects more than 540,000 individuals.

According to a data breach notice posted on its website, the New Jersey-based provider of testing and laboratory services for healthcare organizations discovered an intrusion in its IT environment in August 2025.

An investigation showed that threat actors had gained “limited access” to Centers Laboratory systems between August 9 and August 14, exfiltrating personal and protected health information, including names, dates of birth, SSNs, driver’s license or state identification numbers, passport numbers, and health insurance and medical information.

The healthcare data breach tracker maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services revealed last week that the data breach affects 542,377 individuals.

Centers Lab was targeted by the WorldLeaks cybercrime group, which listed the organization on its website in October 2025.

The hackers leaked more than 1.6 million files totaling 720 GB, allegedly stolen from Centers Lab systems.
WorldLeaks, which made headlines for targeting major companies such as Nike and Dell, emerged in 2025 following the shutdown of the Hunters International ransomware group.

Following the transition to WorldLeaks, the cybercriminals stopped using file-encrypting malware and have focused on data theft and extortion. More than 170 organizations are listed on the group’s website at the time of writing.

 

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What affected individuals should do

Based on the information in the quoted report, this is a significant healthcare-data breach involving highly sensitive identifiers and medical information. The exact records exposed for each person should be confirmed from Centers Laboratory’s individual notification, because not every affected person will necessarily have had every listed data element exposed.

Affected individuals should:

• Read the official breach notification carefully and enroll in any offered credit-monitoring or identity-restoration service.
• Place a credit freeze with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A freeze is free and helps prevent new credit accounts from being opened in the person’s name.
• Review credit reports through https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ and monitor bank, insurance, healthcare, and explanation-of-benefits statements.
• Contact healthcare providers and insurers if unfamiliar medical claims, prescriptions, or account activity appears.
• Be especially cautious of phishing messages impersonating Centers Laboratory, insurers, healthcare providers, or government agencies. Do not provide passwords, verification codes, or payment information through unsolicited links or phone calls.
• Report suspected identity theft through IdentityTheft.gov and contact the relevant financial institution or insurer immediately.

Because Social Security numbers, government identification details, and medical information may be involved, monitoring should continue for an extended period rather than only for the duration of any complimentary service.

The reported ransomware-group attribution and the alleged volume of leaked files should be treated as claims from the reporting and threat-actor sources unless independently confirmed. The practical priority for potentially affected people is to follow the official notification, freeze credit, and watch financial and healthcare accounts closely.