Unimed cyberattack exposes patient data at German hospitals

A cyberattack on the Saarland‑based IT service provider Unimed has resulted in the theft of patient records from numerous German hospitals. The breach affected clinics in Niedersachsen, including the Klinikum Oldenburg where 433 patient records dating from 2005‑2021 were accessed, and the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (2,975 records) and Universitätsmedizin Göttingen (2,500 records).

In Baden‑Württemberg, authorities estimate that up to 80,000 patients may have been impacted after the same attack on Unimed’s infrastructure was linked to 17 hospitals in the region. Unimed reports that most of the stolen data do not contain financial details, and the provider has not observed evidence of data being published or misused. Investigations are being conducted by the Saarland State Criminal Police Office and the cybercrime units of Baden‑Württemberg, with data‑protection offices in both states coordinating the response. Affected patients are being notified by the individual hospitals.