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The HIPAA Breach Report for May 2026 analyzes protected health information (PHI) breaches affecting 500 or more people as reported to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in April 2026.
This report covers:
- HIPAA breaches ranked by people affected
- HIPAA breaches ranked by occurrence
- Year-over-year comparison
- Takeaways
- Full data
HIPAA breaches ranked by people affected
Most common breaches by type
- Network server breaches affected the most people. 1,227,283 individuals had their data breached.
- Electronic medical record breaches were the second most common breach, with 65,000 people affected.
- Email breaches affected 41,019 people, the third most impactful breach type.
HIPAA breaches ranked by occurrence
Most common breach types
- Network server was the most common attack vector. There were 31 network server breaches.
- Email breaches were the second most common attack vector. There were 13 breaches.
- Paper/films breaches were the third most common attack vector, with 2 breaches.
Year-over-year comparison
These charts compare the HIPAA data breach statistics from previous Paubox HIPAA Breach Reports (May 2022, May 2023, May 2024, and May 2025) with this month’s report.
HIPAA breaches ranked by people affected
What we observe
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Network server breaches affected the most people overall in April 2026.
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The number of people affected by network server breaches in April 2026 was well below the previous year, falling from 6,845,229 to 1,227,283.
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Email breaches affected far fewer people than the previous year, dropping from 381,827 to 41,019.
HIPAA breaches ranked by occurrence
What we observe
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Network server breaches were the most frequent attack vector, with 31 breaches, about in line with recent years.
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Email, as a vector, held steady at 13 breaches, about average for the last few years.
Takeaways
Network server breaches affected the most people in April 2026. Florida Physician Specialists had the most significant breach, which affected 276,498 people. Southern Illinois Dermatology had the second-largest breach, affecting 160,312 people.
Overall, over 1,333,977 individuals had their data accessed via 46 breaches reported in April 2026.
Full data
Click here to view the HHS’ raw data via Google Sheets.
About the Paubox HIPAA Breach Report
The Paubox HIPAA Breach Report analyzes recent PHI breaches that affected 500 or more individuals, as reported on the HHS Wall of Shame in April 2026.
SEE ALSO: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide
Robust inbound email security is a necessity for businesses today. Keeping your email security strategy updated helps ensure the protection of your network.
