Half a Million Patients' Data Stolen From New Jersey Lab Company
A criminal group called WorldLeaks broke into Centers Laboratory's systems last August and walked off with records covering 542,377 people, including Social Security numbers and medical details.
Key points
- Centers Laboratory (Centers Lab NJ LLC), a New Jersey diagnostics firm, discovered a break-in on its computer systems in August 2025.
- Criminals accessed the systems between 9 and 14 August 2025, stealing files belonging to 542,377 people.
- Stolen data includes names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers (the nine-digit US government ID used for taxes and identity checks), driver's licence numbers, passport numbers, plus health insurance and medical records.
- The criminal group WorldLeaks later published more than 1.6 million files totalling 720 GB that it claims came from Centers Lab.
- WorldLeaks grew out of a ransomware gang called Hunters International and has now hit more than 170 organisations worldwide.
A New Jersey company that runs medical tests and laboratory services for healthcare providers has told the US government that criminals stole personal and health records belonging to more than half a million people.
Centers Laboratory, formally known as Centers Lab NJ LLC, filed a data breach notice with the Department of Health and Human Services. Its public breach tracker, updated last week, puts the figure at 542,377 affected individuals.
The company found the intrusion in August 2025. Investigators established that attackers had been inside the network for six days, from 9 to 14 August, copying files containing full names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, passport numbers, driver's licence or state ID numbers, and health insurance and medical records.
Should patients be worried?
Yes, in a practical sense. Social Security numbers combined with medical and identity records are what criminals use to open fake credit lines or file fraudulent tax returns. Anyone who received a breach notification from Centers Lab should place a free credit freeze with the major US credit bureaus: Equifax and Experian and TransUnion all offer it at no cost, and it takes a few minutes online. A freeze stops new accounts being opened in your name without your approval.
Also watch for unexpected medical bills or insurance claims you don't recognise. These can signal that someone has used stolen health details to claim benefits in your name. This pattern is worth flagging alongside our earlier reporting on attacks targeting the vendors and billing firms behind hospitals, which found that a single breach can expose hundreds of patients at once.
The break-in was claimed by WorldLeaks, which listed Centers Lab on its site in October 2025 and says it leaked more than 1.6 million files totalling 720 gigabytes.
WorldLeaks surfaced in 2025 after Hunters International, a ransomware gang that locked victims' files and demanded payment, shut down. Its operators regrouped under the new name but dropped the file-locking approach entirely, shifting to pure data theft and extortion. More than 170 organisations appear on their public shaming site, among them Nike and Dell.
Centers Lab hasn't publicly said whether it paid any ransom. Its breach notice, first reported by SecurityWeek, covers what was taken rather than how any negotiations played out.
For patients the list is short: freeze your credit, scrutinise your medical bills, and treat any call or email claiming to be from your health insurer with fresh suspicion.
