Stop us if you’ve heard this before: a data breach strikes an important consumer brand, dominating the news and highlighting the risk that everyone faces when their digital privacy is violated.
But some incidents rise above the noise, exposing millions of people to serious risk and sending ripple effects across entire industries. In recent weeks, large healthcare networks, rental car companies, and employee benefits providers have all suffered high-impact data incidents. And while the sectors may differ, the underlying issue is the same: inadequate cybersecurity protections that leave sensitive data vulnerable to attack.
For business leaders, these breaches are more than just cautionary tales—they’re wake-up calls. When companies get breached, it’s not just their systems that suffer. It’s their data, their identities, their employees, and their customers who pay the price.
In this blog, we’ll break down three major breaches, assess their real-world impacts, and explore what every business can do to protect its most valuable asset: information.
The Big Breaches: What Happened and Why It Matters
Ascension Health
In December 2024, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit healthcare systems suffered a ransomware attack that disrupted operations across more than 100 facilities nationwide that employ nearly 150,000 employees with a total revenue of $28.3 billion. Patient records, including treatment history, insurance details, and Social Security numbers, were compromised at hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. Unlike most cyberattacks, this one didn’t just result in stolen data—instead, it delayed care, forced rescheduled procedures, and left patients in limbo.
Why it matters: Healthcare data is among the most valuable on the black market, and ransomware groups are increasingly targeting providers due to outdated systems and urgent operational needs. The longer a breach goes unresolved, the higher the human cost.
Hertz
The rental car giant faced a December 2024 cybersecurity breach involving customer information like driver’s license numbers, payment data, and travel history. Hackers reportedly accessed these details through vulnerabilities in third-party systems—a stark reminder that even outsourced platforms must meet rigorous security standards.
Why it matters: Customers often entrust businesses with critical information without realizing how it’s stored or shared. A single weak link—especially in vendor or partner systems—can compromise that trust and lead to long-term reputational damage.
VeriSource Services
An employee benefits platform disclosed a 2024 data breach that affected approximately four million people. In this case, the exposed information was incredibly sensitive: full names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and health insurance details. Even more concerning, the breach went undetected for weeks, giving attackers time to sell or misuse the stolen data.
Why it matters: Employee benefits platforms are rich targets because they house both financial and health-related data. If you’re handling employee or customer PII (personally identifiable information), delayed detection could expose your business to legal liability, compliance penalties, and loss of trust.
The Broader Impact: How Data Breaches Disrupt Businesses
These breaches aren’t isolated events—they’re part of a growing trend in which cyberattacks move faster, inflict costlier damages, and impact a wider array of industries. Every business should take notice.
● Breaches compromise far more than data. When daily operations grind to a halt—as they did at hospitals during the Ascension Health incident—the health and livelihoods of millions of people are affected. For employees, productivity suffers; for businesses, revenue drops; and more managers, recovery timelines can stretch into weeks or even months.
● Regulatory fallout can be severe. Organizations that work in the healthcare, finance, or employee services must adhere to strict privacy laws like HIPAA, PCI DSS, or CCPA. A breach like the one that Ascension just suffered can trigger audits, fines, lawsuits, and mandatory notification requirements, increasing the cost of non-compliance.
● Reputation and customer trust take the hardest hit. Consumers may not forgive a brand that loses their data—especially if the breach was preventable or went undetected for a sustained period of time. Rebuilding trust after a cyberattack is a long, uphill climb that many businesses don’t survive.
What Every Business Can Do: 6 Cybersecurity Essentials
Cybersecurity may seem complex, but taking decisive steps today can protect your business tomorrow. Here are a few important actions that CMIT Solutions recommends:
● Conduct a comprehensive cybersecurity risk assessment. You can’t fix what you don’t know about. A professional risk assessment conducted with the help of a trusted IT provider like CMIT Solutions helps you identify vulnerabilities in your systems, software, processes, and employee habits. This proactive evaluation becomes the foundation of a resilient cybersecurity strategy.
● Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all accounts. MFA adds an essential layer of protection by requiring users to verify their identity with a password and a unique code or notification delivered via a secure method. MFA significantly reduces the risk of phishing attacks, credential theft, and unauthorized access to email, applications, and cloud services.
● Encrypt sensitive data—at rest and in transit. Encryption ensures that even if cybercriminals get their hands on your data, the information remains unreadable and unusable. This protects against data exfiltration and aligns your business with industry-specific compliance requirements.
● Enable 24/7 system monitoring and incident response. Cyberattacks can happen at any time, and delayed response times increase the impact of long-term damages. Around-the-clock monitoring handled by a trusted IT provider can help detect threats early, empowering you to take swift action, minimize downtime, and reduce recovery costs.
● Train your employees to recognize cyberthreats. Human error is still the leading cause of data breaches. Some incidents can result from an employee downloading a malicious file onto a company device, while others can be caused by vulnerabilities in the file transfer software used by vendors. Regular training sessions can educate your team about how to spot phishing emails, avoid malicious links, and report suspicious behavior. Empowering employees is one of the most cost-effective defenses available.
● Work with a trusted IT and cybersecurity partner. No internal team can manage everything alone. A proven partner like CMIT Solutions provides the tools, guidance, and around-the-clock support you need to stay secure. From firewalls to endpoint protection, and managed IT to compliance assistance, CMIT builds a strong foundation for digital safety.
The CMIT Solutions Difference: Proactive, Personalized, and Proven
CMIT Solutions is more than just an IT provider. We’re a long-term partner in your business’s success. We partner a local presence in communities like yours with a national network staffed by hundreds of specialists across North America who provide personal service with enterprise-level resources. For you, that means quick response times and trusted relationships, all backed by a network of experts.
We also focus on preventative care, not just emergency repair. We specialize in identifying threats before they cause harm. Our proactive monitoring, regular updates, and layered defenses are designed to keep your business protected 24/7. We can also help with customized solutions for your industry and goals. Whether you’re in healthcare, retail, legal, or professional services, we tailor our approach to meet your specific security and compliance needs.
The most dangerous myth in cybersecurity is “It won’t happen to me.” The reality is that every business—regardless of size, industry, or location—is a target. The recent breaches at Ascension Health, Hertz, and VeriSource prove that sensitive data is always in demand—and that bad actors will exploit any weakness they can find.
The good news? You don’t have to face this alone. With the right tools and the right partner, you can protect your business, your staff, and your future.
We’re committed to clear, confident IT support. We don’t speak in jargon or scare tactics—we deliver straightforward advice, measurable results, and consistent value. Let CMIT Solutions help you close security gaps before they turn into headlines. Contact us today to start the conversation.
