Enzo Biochem: Hackers got access to test results of almost 2.5M patients

Hackers gained access to test results of almost 2.5 million patients and compromised about 600,000 Social Security numbers, Enzo Biochem Inc. revealed in a government filing.

The Farmingdale company provides medical tests through its Enzo Clinical Labs unit via nine service centers in Suffolk County and five in Nassau, according to the company website. Additional locations are in the five boroughs of New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and upstate New York.

The company previously had revealed the ransomware attack in an April filing, but Tuesday's update was the first to disclose details on the kind of data compromised and the number of customers affected.

The latest filing said the company also is "evaluating whether its employees' information may have been involved."

There was no indication whether the company had complied with the hackers' demands and a spokesman for the company said it would have no comment beyond the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The cybersecurity breach comes as Enzo Biochem is in the process of selling the assets of its clinical labs unit to Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, widely known as Labcorp, for $146 million in cash.

That deal was announced in March and Enzo Biochem shareholders voted to approve the deal last month.

“With the support of our shareholders for the asset sale, we look forward to … maximizing shareholder value," Enzo chief executive Hamid Erfanian said in a statement after the vote.

A spokesperson for Labcorp, with revenue of $14.9 billion in 2022, could not be immediately reached for comment.

The clinical labs unit accounted for 70% of Enzo's revenue in the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, according to the company's annual report.

The company's products unit, which markets life sciences test platforms to research and pharmaceutical companies, accounted for the remainder.

Last week, Enzo filed an updated notice with the New York State Department of Labor outlining plans to lay off 258 Long Island employees at its clinical labs unit in connection with the sale to Labcorp.

In April, a shareholder lawsuit was filed against Burlington, North Carolina-based Labcorp in connection with two previous cybersecurity incidents, including one where patient data was disclosed.

The Enzo incursion is the latest high-profile cybersecurity incident on Long Island. Previous victims have included Suffolk County and Veeco Corp., a Plainview-based manufacturer of tools for makers of LEDs, semiconductors and data storage devices.

Shares of Enzo fell 0.45% to close Thursday at $2.19, while Labcorp stock edged down 0.04% to $212.44.

By Ken Schachter

kenneth.schachter@newsday.comkschach

Ken Schachter covers corporate news, including technology and aerospace, and other business topics for Newsday. He has also worked at The Miami Herald and The Jerusalem Post.