The Fairbanks North Star Borough was impacted by a ransomware attack on a third-party responsible for EMS ambulance billing from 2012 to 2017.

The incident, which was first reported by the Fairbanks North Star Borough late last week, involved a ransomware attack on Golden Heart Administrative Professionals, a billing company based in Fairbanks. The attack compromised the health information of more than 44,000 people according to a

by HIPAA Journal.

According to the

, Golden Heart was subject to a ransomware attack that "resulted in the encryption of certain information maintained on its computer system." The statement says GHAP retained a third-party cybersecurity and forensics firm to investigate upon discovering the attack.

That investigation reportedly found that "all information in the GHAP system was potentially compromised," and could be accessed by unauthorized third-parties. Information potentially compromised includes individuals' names, addresses, social security numbers, dates of birth, medical treatment and diagnosis information, and in some cases, credit card information.

The Borough says the attack occurred on April 14 and was discovered the same day. FNSB says it was not notified of the attack until May 25, and was not provided detailed information about the attack or who may have been affected until June 18.

GHAP has reportedly notified law enforcement and the three major credit reporting agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Affected individuals will receive a notice in the mail regarding steps they can take to protect themselves from identify theft.

The Borough has set up an information phone line at 1-888-668-9006, open between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.