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Ransomware gang ALPHV/BlackCat claims huge breach of US patient records
American health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group has confirm a ransomware onset on its health tech foot soldier Change Healthcare , which continues to break up hospitals and pharmacy across the United States .
“ Change Healthcare can reassert we are experiencing a cyber security system issue pull by a cybercrime threat actor who has represented itself to us as ALPHV / Blackcat , ” said Tyler Mason , vice president at UnitedHealth , in a statement to TechCrunch on Thursday .
“ Our experts are crop to address the affair and we are working closely with law enforcement and moderate third - party adviser , Mandiant and Palo Alto connection[s ] , on this attack against Change Healthcare ’s systems . We are actively working to understand the shock to penis , patients and customer , ” the spokesperson said .
“ Based on our ongoing investigation , there ’s no indication that except for the Change Healthcare systems , Optum , UnitedHealthcare and UnitedHealth Group organisation have been affected by this consequence . ”
In a post on its dark web outflow site on Wednesday , ALPHV / BlackCat consume credit for the cyberattack at Change Healthcare . The Russia - based ransomware and extortion gang claimed to have steal millions of Americans ’ sensitive health and patient data . Ransomware crew typically print the public figure of their victims to their saturnine web passing water site often as a way to rack the victims into paying a ransom money demand .
ALPHV / BlackCat ’s claim could not be instantly avow . ALPHV took down the mail service claiming responsibility , sometimes an indication that the victim is negotiating with the hackers . UHG representative Mason did not respond to a comment asking if the company paid a ransom or is in negotiations with the hackers .
TechCrunch substantiate on Monday that the on-going cyberattackwas relate to ransomware . Reuters firstreported the tidings .
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UHG - owned subsidiary company Change Healthcare is a health technical school goliath and one of the country ’s largest CPU of ethical drug medications , do by billing for more than 67,000 pharmacies across the U.S. healthcare system . The healthcare technical school monster ’s web site says it handles 15 billion healthcare transactions annually — or about one - in - three U.S. patient records .
Change Healthcare merge with U.S. healthcare provider Optum in 2022 as part of a $ 7.8 billion pot under UnitedHealth Group , the tumid health indemnity provider in the United States . The fusion countenance Optum liberal access to patient phonograph recording deal by Change Healthcare .
UnitedHealth Group collectively provides over 53 million U.S. customers with benefit plans and another five million outside of the United States , concord toits belated full - twelvemonth earnings report . Optum serves about 103 million U.S. customer .
Pharmacy outages stall prescriptions
The cyberattackbegan on February 21early on the U.S. East Coast , make far-flung outage at chemist’s shop and health care facilities . Change Healthcare said it took much of its systems offline to expel the hackers from its systems .
Change Healthcare’sincident tracker pageshows most of its customer - facing systems stay offline .
Hospitals , healthcare provider and pharmacies across the United States have reported that they are ineffective to fulfill or process prescriptions through patient ’ policy .
Nebraska telecasting outletKLKN - TV reports that the majority of Nebraska hospitalsare unable to verify patient insurance for inpatient stays , supply precise cost estimates , or treat patient role billing as a result of the on-going cyberattack at Change Healthcare .
U.S. military health indemnity supplier Tricare saidin a statement this weekthat the cyberattack at Change Healthcare is “ impacting all military apothecary’s shop worldwide and some retail pharmacies nationally . ”
UnitedHealthpreviously attributed the cyberattack to an unspecified nation - state actor . researcher have yet to determine a link between the ALPHV / BlackCat grouping and a government .
“ The ransomware problem has been getting uncollectible for years . If governments do n’t get it under control promptly , critical services will go forward to be interrupt , with potentially ruinous consequences , ” said Brett Callow , a ransomware expert and threat psychoanalyst at Emsisoft , tell TechCrunch .
It ’s not yet clear how the hackers gained access to Change Healthcare ’s systems . In an interview with TechCrunch on Thursday , ConnectWise principal information surety officer Patrick Beggs ruled out a late exposure in his company ’s products as the cause of the cyberattack at Change Healthcare .
“ With all the subsidiaries including United all the way down to Change Healthcare , we have no phonograph record or no indication of any [ managed religious service supplier patronise them , or them themselves having ScreenConnect set up on their infrastructure , ” Beggs told TechCrunch .
UnitedHealth made $ 22 billion in profit during 2023 , according toits full - year earnings filed in January . allot to the company ’s most recent report card on executive pay , UnitedHealth ’s chief executive Andrew Witty received closely to $ 21 million in total recompense during the previous financial year .
TechCrunch ’s Carly Page contributed report .
Do you work at Change Healthcare , Optum or UnitedHealth and know more about the cyberattack ? Get in touch on Signal and WhatsApp at +1 646 - 755 - 8849 , orby electronic mail . you’re able to also send file and papers viaSecureDrop .
US health tech giant Change Healthcare hit by cyberattack
