2.8M affected in Baylor Genetics breach involving medical data
Baylor Genetics suffered a data breach that may have exposed lab results, medical conditions, Social Security numbers and more
A data breach at genetic testing company Baylor Genetics affected more than 2.8 million people nationwide and may have exposed highly sensitive medical information, according to a federal filing obtained by Hearst Television’s National Consumer Unit.
Baylor Genetics reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that approximately 2,810,878 people were affected by the breach. The company classified the incident as a hacking or IT incident involving a network server.
According to the filing, the information may have included names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, diagnoses and medical conditions, laboratory results, and other medical testing information and results.
State records reviewed by Hearst Television’s National Consumer Unit show how many people were affected in various states around the country. Texas reported 248,430 residents affected, while Massachusetts reported 56,636. Illinois reported 50,495. Washington reported 27,243 and Vermont reported 2,630. Baylor Genetics’ consumer notice also says approximately 4,532 Rhode Island residents may have been impacted.
Baylor Genetics said an unauthorized third party accessed portions of its network between June 11 and June 17. The company said some information on the network was viewed or copied during that period.
The company said it discovered suspicious activity around June 15 and completed a review of the affected data around July 30. Notification letters began going out Aug. 14.
Baylor Genetics offers testing that can be used in deeply personal medical situations, including pregnancy and family planning, hereditary cancer risk and rare diseases. Its test catalog includes prenatal genetic testing, carrier screening, whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing, oncology testing and other specialized genetic tests.
Some patients may also receive a breach notice without immediately recognizing the Baylor Genetics name. In its breach notice, Baylor Genetics said it works with third-party medical providers and may perform testing directly or on behalf of other laboratories.
Baylor Genetics said it secured affected systems after identifying the breach, launched a forensic investigation and worked with independent cybersecurity specialists.
The company said it has since enhanced monitoring and security controls, strengthened identity and access management and implemented additional safeguards.
Baylor Genetics said it is not aware of confirmed identity theft, fraud or misuse of personal information related to the breach.
Baylor Genetics is urging affected individuals to review their notice carefully and monitor financial and medical accounts for unusual activity.
The company specifically recommends reviewing account statements, Explanation of Benefits statements and credit reports. It is also offering complimentary identity protection and credit monitoring services through IDX to some affected individuals.
If your Social Security number or other identifying information was involved, you can also consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus. Federal law allows consumers to place or lift a credit freeze for free.
The Get the Facts Data Team analyzed breaches of unsecured protected health information reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights dating back to 2009.
The data shows the number of reported breaches generally trended upward beginning in 2010, reaching a record high in 2025.
The largest breach in the dataset was the Change Healthcare breach, reported in July 2024, which affected 192.7 million people.
Across all reported breaches in the dataset, the average breach affected about 136,300 people.
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