Brinztech Alert: CATASTROPHIC: Health App RELIV (Ecuador/Mexico) Breached; 100GB+ of “Full Patient Medical Records” (X-rays, Diagnostics) For Sale

Dark Web News Analysis

The dark web news reports a catastrophic, “worst-case scenario” data breach from RELIV, a “health services management app” operating in Ecuador and Mexico.

An attacker is advertising a massive 100GB+ database for sale. This is not a simple user list; it is a “full patient file” leak containing the most sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI) imaginable:

• X-rays (Diagnostic Images)
• Diagnostics (The actual medical conditions, e.g., “cancer,” “HIV,” “addiction”)
• Digital Signatures (!!!) (The “golden key” for fraud)
• Full Patient PII

The seller is explicitly marketing this data’s value to “insurance companies,” confirming the intended use is for systemic, targeted fraud and blackmail.

Key Cybersecurity Insights

This is a high-severity, “Code Red” incident. The implications are not just “digital”; they are immediate, severe, and life-ruining for the victims.

1. CATASTROPHIC: “Patient Blackmail Goldmine” (The #1 Threat): (As noted). This is the most immediate, cruel, and likely threat. The attacker has a 100GB “blackmail kit.”
   • The Scenario: An attacker (or the buyer) emails a victim:
   • The Script: “Hello [Victim Name], we have your full medical file from RELIV, including your X-ray from [Real Date] and your secret diagnosis of [Real, Sensitive Diagnosis]. Pay us 1 BTC, or we will send this file to your employer, your family, and all your social media contacts.”
   • The Result: This scam is lethally effective because it uses real, secret, life-altering data.
2. “Systemic Insurance Fraud Goldmine” (The #2 Threat): (As noted by the attacker). This is the financial threat. The attacker has PII + Diagnostics + (critically) Digital Signatures.
   • The Attack: They can now impersonate both the patient and the doctor, filing mass, fraudulent insurance claims (in both Ecuador and Mexico) that are “pre-authorized” with a real digital signature. This is billions of dollars in potential fraud.
3. The Vector = Unsecured S3 Bucket: (Our insight). A 100GB+ leak of files (X-rays, PDFs) is not a simple SQL database leak. This is the hallmark of a catastrophic cloud security failure. The attacker almost certainly found a publicly exposed, unsecure AWS S3 bucket, Google Cloud Storage, or Azure Blob Storage and downloaded everything.
4. Catastrophic Cross-Border Regulatory Failure (Two Countries): (As noted).
   • Mexico: This is a severe breach of LFPDPPP (Federal Law on Protection of Personal Data). The INAI (regulator) will impose maximum fines for a PHI leak.
   • Ecuador: This is a severe breach of the LOPDP (Organic Law on the Protection of Personal Data), Ecuador’s new, strict, GDPR-like law.
   • Result: This is a business-ending regulatory nightmare, requiring coordinated incident response and notification in two countries.

Mitigation Strategies

This is a “Code Red,” “Assume Breach” incident. This is a full-scale humanitarian and counter-fraud operation.

For RELIV (The Company):

• MANDATORY (Priority 1): “KILL SWITCH” / Isolate the File Store NOW! (Our insight). Immediately find and secure the bleeding S3 bucket or file server. Make it private. This is the only way to stop the ongoing exfiltration.
• MANDATORY (Priority 2): Activate “Assume Breach” IR Plan: (As suggested). Engage a top-tier DFIR (Digital Forensics) firm immediately.
• MANDATORY (Priority 3): Report to INAI (Mexico) & PDPS (Ecuador): (As suggested). Immediately report this breach to Mexico’s INAI and Ecuador’s Personal Data Protection Service as required by law.
• MANDATORY (Priority 4): Notify All Patients (The “Victims”): (As suggested). This is a legal and ethical requirement. The notification must be transparent about the PHI and Diagnostic leak and warn explicitly of the high risk of blackmail and insurance fraud scams.
• MANDATORY (Priority 5): Free ID/Credit/Insurance Monitoring: This is non-negotiable.

For Affected Patients (The Real Victims):

• CRITICAL (Priority 1): Blackmail Alert: DO NOT PAY. (Our specific advice). Assume you will be contacted. DO NOT PAY THE RANSOM. It will not stop them from leaking or re-selling your data. Report it to the police (Cibernética) immediately.
• CRITICAL (Priority 2): Monitor Insurance & Credit NOW: (As suggested). Immediately place a fraud alert with your insurance provider and all credit bureaus. Scrutinize every “Explanation of Benefits” (EOB) for fraudulent claims.

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Questions or Feedback? This analysis is based on threat intelligence from a dark web forum. A breach of 100GB+ of active patient medical files (X-rays, diagnostics) is one of the most severe, catastrophic, and inhumane data breaches possible, enabling mass blackmail and systemic fraud. Brinztech provides cybersecurity services worldwide and do not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of external claims. For any inquiries or to report this post, please email: contact@brinshtech.com