APhA Website Back Online After Unauthorized Data Access

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Jun 06, 2012, 03:19 ET

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) announced that the pharmacist.com website is back online. The site was temporarily taken offline after staff learned the website's computer servers had been accessed by an unauthorized person or persons.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100820/APHALOGO-a)

"We thank our members for their patience during this trying time," stated Thomas E. Menighan, BSPharm, ScD, MBA, APhA CEO/Executive Vice President. "We understand how important pharmacist.com is to our members in their search for pharmacy information, education, resources and networking. APhA considers any unauthorized access of its data to be serious, and has been working non-stop to ensure the website was secured and back online in a timely manner."

The APhA website was defaced on the evening of Monday, May 28, 2012, by an unknown individual or group. APhA quickly responded to the incident by notifying law enforcement and taking its site offline in order to best protect its members, donors, visitors and website content. Working with forensic experts, APhA is aggressively investigating the full extent of the website access and taking measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

At this stage, the forensic investigation indicates that some user data, such as names, physical addresses and email addresses, was stolen from APhA computer servers by the unknown and unauthorized person(s) and posted on a file-sharing network. Should the investigation reveal the disclosure of sensitive, personally identifiable information, APhA will promptly notify affected individuals, in accordance with applicable law.

The integrity of the ongoing forensic and legal investigation limits what can be said about the incident or its outcomes. For more information, please see the frequently asked questions posted on pharmacist.com.

About the American Pharmacists Association
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, is a 501 (c)(6) nonprofit organization, representing more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States. For more information, visit www.pharmacist.com.

SOURCE American Pharmacists Association