Change Healthcare Breach Involves $22M Bitcoin Ransom

UnitedHealth's subsidiary Change Healthcare experienced a massive ransomware attack in February, compromising the healthcare data of over 100 million individuals, marking it as the largest healthcare data breach in U.S. history. The attack was orchestrated by the hacking group ALPHV/BlackCat, and UnitedHealth's CEO Andrew Witty confirmed a ransom payment of $22 million in Bitcoin, though experts warn against such payments. The breach affected personal and health information, including Social Security numbers and insurance details, causing widespread disruptions in claims processing and other healthcare services. UnitedHealth has been notifying impacted individuals since June, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirming the scale of the breach. The federal government is investigating whether UnitedHealth and Change Healthcare complied with privacy and security regulations, highlighting the ongoing cybersecurity challenges in the healthcare sector.