UnitedHealth Group has acknowledged an alarming increase in the victim count from February’s data breach on its subsidiary, Change Healthcare. An estimated 190 million American residents, almost double previous counts, endured the cyber onslaught.
In an off-hours communication to TechCrunch last Friday, UnitedHealth stated that the massive data breach victim count rests at a nearly 190 million. “Most of these victims were duly notified,” assured UnitedHealth’s representative, Tyler Mason. The final number is pending for submission to the Office for Civil Rights.
So far, UnitedHealth’s representative claims no signs of victim data misuse following the February 2024 disruption, the largest of its kind in U.S. history. This cyber-attack on Change Healthcare, amongst the biggest health data handlers and claim processors in the U.S., led to a nationwide healthcare system crisis.
The breach resulted in theft of heaps of health and insurance data, with some portions shared online by the responsible hackers. This led to multiple ransoms paid by Change Healthcare to prevent further data leakage.
Estimates from UnitedHealth’s preliminary review reported 100 million individuals impacted. Information stolen includes personal details, government identities, financial information, and a trove of clinical data.
The notorious ALPHV ransomware gang, a prominent Russian-speaking cybercrime cluster, claimed responsibility for the breach. According to UnitedHealth’s CEO, Andrew Witty, the hackers breached Change’s defense systems using stolen login details that lacked two-factor verification.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
