Quest Diagnostics reports breach of test-ordering system

Laboratory operator Quest Diagnostics disclosed unauthorized access to its Quanum LSM system on 22 October and said it believed an unauthorized party had accessed certain patient records. BleepingComputer reported on 23 October that Quanum LSM had been stopped and that Quest had temporarily paused access to Essential Insights and LabHQ as a precaution.

Alternative routes for test orders and results

Quanum LSM, short for Lab Services Manager, is an online platform that some Quest clients use to order laboratory tests and receive or look up results. Quest recommends using paper requisitions—test-request forms—or Quanum eLabs to place orders and receive results while Quanum LSM is stopped.

Quest said in its 22 October disclosure that the incident had not materially disrupted its business operations. The company also said its customer-facing operations had not been disrupted and that users of direct connections to customers’ laboratory information systems, or of electronic medical records, were unaffected. Those statements concern operations and those access routes; the restrictions apply to the three named platforms.

Investigation into patient-record access continues

In a regulatory filing, Quest said it learned of the incident on 21 October, notified federal law enforcement authorities and began its cybersecurity incident-response procedures.

Quest has not specified how many patients were affected, and the types of patient data involved remain undetermined. The full scope of the unauthorized access remains under investigation.

External experts are helping the investigation. Quest says its response aims to contain the activity, assess the nature and scope of the incident and implement remedial measures.