In February, a significant cyberattack targeted Change Healthcare’s system, leading to a ransomware attack that encrypted and froze portions of it. As a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, Change Healthcare processes billions of insurance claims annually using its technology. The compromised information may include names, addresses, health insurance details, and personal data like Social Security numbers.
Unfortunately, the attack resulted in disruptions in payment and claims processing nationwide. However, the good news is that over 90% of the affected files have been reviewed and found no evidence that doctors’ charts or complete medical histories were accessed by the hackers. UnitedHealth reportedly paid a $22 million ransom in bitcoin following the attack.
In response to the cyberattack, Change Healthcare is offering two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection to individuals concerned about their information being compromised. CEO Andrew Witty assured that essential systems, such as claims payment and pharmacy processing, remain operational. The company continues to work on addressing the aftermath of the attack and ensuring the protection of customer and patient data.
