Largest U.S. Healthcare Breach Affects 190M Individuals

The largest healthcare data breach in U.S. history occurred in February 2024, affecting approximately 190 million individuals, nearly doubling previous estimates. The ransomware attack on UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare compromised sensitive personal and medical data, including Social Security numbers and government IDs, leading to significant disruptions in healthcare services. The breach was executed by the AlphV/BlackCat ransomware group using a vulnerability in Citrix remote-access software. Despite the breach's scale, UnitedHealth reports no evidence of data misuse yet. This incident highlights the growing vulnerability of the healthcare sector, with a recent survey indicating 84% of healthcare organizations experienced a cyberattack in the past year. Legislative efforts are underway to enhance cybersecurity practices across U.S. healthcare providers to prevent future incidents.