Watsonville Community Hospital experienced a cyberattack. On Nov. 29, 2024, the hospital detected suspicious activity within its network. An investigation determined that an unauthorized actor gained access to the hospital systems between Nov. 25, 2024 and Nov. 30, 2024, and downloaded files containing sensitive information.
The ransomware group TERMITE claimed responsibility for the data breach and posted sample screenshots of the stolen data on their dark web portal, further substantiating their claims. Watsonville Community Hospital published a Notice of Data Privacy Incident on its website on Oct. 15, 2025.
Exposed information included names, addresses, medical record numbers, full or partial Social Security numbers, date of birth, tax ID numbers, driver’s license or government ID numbers, passport numbers, financial account information, payment card information, access credentials, birth certification, clinical or treatment information, medical procedure information, medical provider names, prescription information and health insurance information.
This data breach is considered severe, as ransomware attacks involve both system hacking and the risk of data being leaked or sold online. Watsonville Community Hospital began notifying affected individuals by mail on Oct. 15, 2025.
The cybersecurity incident was also disclosed to the California Attorney General's office on Oct. 16, 2025. The total number of individuals impacted by the breach has not been released but is believed to include thousands of patients.
The hospital responded to the cyberattack by restoring functionality to its IT network, engaged cybersecurity experts and notified federal law enforcement. In addition to required state and federal disclosures, the healthcare organization is offering impacted patients free IDX credit monitoring and identity protection services.
If you receive a notice from Watsonville Community Hospital about this breach, you may want to:
The hospital has also established a dedicated assistance line at 1-833-661-1932, available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
More information about the hospital can be found on the Watsonville Community Hospital website.