cybersecurity-healthcare3.28 min read
"Escalating Cybersecurity Crisis: Change Healthcare's Ongoing Ransomware Nightmare"
1 year ago•Source: WIRED
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2.28 min•1 year ago
"Healthcare Giant UnitedHealth Group's Recovery Progress and Concerns Post-Cyberattack"
UnitedHealth Group is recovering from a major cyberattack by the hacking group ALPHV, impacting its subsidiary Change Healthcare, which processes billions of healthcare transactions annually. The attack targeted pharmacy, medical claims, and payment systems, affecting patient care and hospital operations. The company is making progress in restoring services, with electronic payments and pharmacy network services mostly restored. The Department of Health and Human Services is investigating the breach, and the American Hospital Association called it the most significant cyberattack on the U.S. healthcare system. UnitedHealth Group has paid over $2 billion to assist affected healthcare providers, and the FBI disrupted some of BlackCat's operations in December 2023.
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More Cybersecurity Healthcare Stories
"Health Providers Seek Federal Intervention Following $22M Ransomware Attack on U.S. Hospitals"
A major cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, has caused widespread disruptions in the U.S. health care system, affecting hospitals in Georgia and across the country. The attack has led to significant financial losses, threats to patient information security, and delays in medical services and payments to providers. The American Hospital Association has called for urgent federal aid to address the financial strain on hospitals and health systems. Cybersecurity experts note the increasing frequency of ransomware attacks in the healthcare sector, and efforts are being made to mitigate the impact, including urging insurance companies to waive claim filing requirements and seeking accelerated payments from government agencies.
"Ransomware Attack Paralyzes US Healthcare Payment Systems, Prompts Emergency Loan Program"
A cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a crucial health-care company owned by UnitedHealth Group, has disrupted the systems that transmit patients' health-care claims and payments, affecting hospitals, doctor offices, pharmacies, and millions of patients nationwide. The attack, one of the most serious in U.S. health-care history, has led to financial strain on organizations heavily reliant on Change's platform, causing delays in patient care, medication access, and billing processes. The government and industry officials are working to mitigate the impact, with calls for accelerated payments to affected health-care providers and efforts to strengthen cybersecurity resilience across the health-care ecosystem.
"Ransomware Disrupts UnitedHealth Payment System, Impacting Pharmacies and Millions"
UnitedHealth Group accuses the ransomware gang Black Cat of hacking its health care payment systems, causing disruptions in pharmacies and hospitals nationwide. The attack has led to difficulties in filling prescriptions and seeking medical treatment. Despite efforts by the company to address the issue, the outage could last for weeks. The incident highlights the challenges in combating cybercriminal groups, particularly those with ties to countries with lax law enforcement regarding cybercrime, such as Russia.
"Healthcare Industry Rocked by Series of Devastating Ransomware Attacks"
A ransomware attack by the ALPHV gang has disrupted prescription processing for millions of Americans, affecting UnitedHealthcare's Change Health business unit and leading to widespread impacts on pharmacies and patients. The attack has forced some to pay exorbitant prices for medication or go without, with pharmacies struggling to process claims and facing cash-flow issues. The incident highlights the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the ongoing threat posed by ransomware groups, despite previous law enforcement efforts to disrupt them.
"Healthcare Cyberattacks: Disruptions and Unpaid Providers"
The largest health care payment processor in the U.S., Change Healthcare, has been hit by a ransomware attack, causing widespread disruption to the health care system. The attack has affected small and midsize health care providers, hindering electronic prescription filling and insurance reimbursements. The ransomware, Alphv, is believed to be the work of Russian-speaking cybercriminals, and the company is working with law enforcement and cybersecurity firms to recover from the incident.
"Healthcare Cyberattacks: Impact on Prescription Access and Patient Care"
A cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, is causing nationwide disruptions in prescription access and payment processing for hospitals and pharmacies. The attack, allegedly perpetrated by a Russian-speaking ransomware group known as Blackcat, has impacted every hospital in the country, leading to rejected insurance claims and billing challenges. Change Healthcare has established workarounds for payment, but systems remain down, particularly affecting smaller hospitals with limited resources. UnitedHealth has not provided an estimate for when its systems will return to normal, and the FBI is investigating the incident.
"UnitedHealth Cyberattack Causes Billing Delays and Prescription Access Threats"
UnitedHealth has attributed a disruptive cyber attack affecting healthcare providers to the group Blackcat, causing a week-long outage of its Change Healthcare system and hindering transactions between providers and insurance companies. The breach, which could last for weeks, has prompted the company to set up a loan program for affected healthcare providers. Blackcat, known for previous hacks, has claimed responsibility and allegedly stolen millions of patient records, including sensitive medical and insurance data. The US government has issued a $15 million reward for information on the group, and UnitedHealth is working with cybersecurity firms to address the situation.
"UnitedHealth Cyberattack Causes Billing Delays and Security Concerns"
Change Healthcare, a crucial player in the U.S. healthcare system, suffered a cyberattack, impacting various aspects of healthcare operations including payments, insurance authorizations, and medical records sharing. The ransomware group ALPHV is suspected to be behind the attack, raising concerns about patient data security and potential disruptions in care. The incident highlights the growing threat of cyberattacks on healthcare providers and the need for improved cybersecurity measures, prompting calls for federal intervention and support for affected hospitals.
"Ransomware Outage Hits Healthcare Providers, Millions of Records Stolen"
Healthcare providers in the United States are facing financial strain due to a week-long ransomware outage at UnitedHealth Group's Change Healthcare unit, preventing them from processing payments and claims. Small businesses, including therapists and laboratories, are accumulating thousands of dollars in overdue payments, while larger hospital chains are absorbing upfront costs. The outage has disrupted insurance transactions and electronic pharmacy refills, with providers of all sizes feeling the strain. UnitedHealth Group has stated that claims submissions have returned to pre-disruption levels, and alternative clearing houses can be used to submit claims. The company initially blamed a suspected nation-state associated cybersecurity threat actor for the disruption, but sources indicate that a criminal gang dubbed "Blackcat" or "ALPHV" was responsible.
"UnitedHealth Cyberattack Causes Prescription Drug Coverage Disruptions for Healthcare Providers"
A cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth, has disrupted insurance processing for pharmacies across the US, affecting health care professionals and potentially cutting into their revenue. The attack has led to billing outages, forcing some providers to manually bill and worry about losing office space. The fallout is estimated to cost health care providers over $100 million per day, prompting concerns from senior US officials. The ransomware gang responsible, known as ALPHV, has a history of targeting US institutions, and the attack has been described as a systemic attack on the entire health care sector.