"Ransomware Outage Hits Healthcare Providers, Millions of Records Stolen"
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Reuters
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.