Summary: UnitedHealth has disclosed that a ransomware attack on its subsidiary, Change Healthcare, resulted in the theft of personal and healthcare data from 190 million Americans, nearly doubling earlier estimates. The attack, attributed to the BlackCat ransomware gang, has been labeled the largest healthcare data breach in U.S. history, leading to significant operational disruptions and substantial financial losses for UnitedHealth. Despite paying a ransom, the threat actors continued to leak data and demanded further payments.
Threat Actor: BlackCat (ALPHV) | BlackCat
Victim: UnitedHealth Group | UnitedHealth Group
Keypoints :
- The ransomware attack affected 190 million individuals, with sensitive data including health insurance information and Social Security Numbers stolen.
- UnitedHealth confirmed a ransom payment of $22 million was made to regain access to their systems, but the threat actors later leaked some of the stolen data.
- The financial impact of the attack is projected to reach $2.45 billion for the nine months ending September 30, 2024.