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The HIPAA Breach Report for October 2026 analyzes protected health information (PHI) breaches affecting 500 or more people as reported to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in September 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. 578,713 individuals had their data breached.
- Electronic medical record breaches were the second most common breach, with 414,273 people affected.
- Other breaches affected 139,503 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 30 network server breaches.
- Email breaches were the second most common attack vector. There were 8 email breaches.
- Electronic medical record and Paper/films breaches were the third most common attack vector, with 3 each.
Year-over-year comparison
These charts compare the HIPAA data breach statistics from previous Paubox HIPAA Breach Reports (October 2022, October 2023, October 2024, and October 2025) with this month’s report.
HIPAA breaches ranked by people affected
What we observe
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Network server, electronic medical record, and other breaches affected the most people overall in September 2026.
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The number of people affected by network server breaches was the lowest in five years, down from 1,359,914 in 2025.
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Electronic medical record breaches surged to 414,273 people, far above the 16,281 seen in 2025.
HIPAA breaches ranked by occurrence
What we observe
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Network server breaches continue to be the most frequent attack vector, accounting for 30 incidents in September 2026, up from 22 in 2025.
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Email has consistently remained a frequent attack vector over the last five years, with 8 incidents this month.
Takeaways
Network server breaches affected the most people in September 2026. The District of Columbia, Department of Health Care Finance had the most significant breach, which affected 399,086 people. Clover Health had the second-largest breach, affecting 138,677 people.
Overall, 1,043,266 individuals had their data accessed via 42 breaches reported in September 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 September 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.
