Patient Data Compromised - UnitedHealth Group Admits Ransom Payment in Cyberattack

UnitedHealth Group UNH revealed Monday that it paid a ransom to cyber threat actors following the February cyberattack on its subsidiary, Change Healthcare. 

The company acknowledged that personal data was compromised in the breach.

Despite the company not disclosing the exact amount paid in ransom, the admission underscores the severity of the attack. With over 152 million customers, UnitedHealth emphasized its ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and cybersecurity firms to investigate the incident thoroughly.

According to a statement provided to CNBC, the attack was orchestrated by malicious threat actors, necessitating swift action to mitigate the impact on patient data. 

The breach extends beyond UnitedHealth customers, potentially affecting a significant portion of the American population.

Change Healthcare, a crucial player in payment and revenue cycle management within the healthcare sector, processes more than 15 billion transactions annually. 

Given its widespread influence, even individuals outside UnitedHealth’s customer base may have been impacted by the breach.

In response to the breach, UnitedHealth has taken steps to support affected individuals, including establishing a dedicated website and a call center offering identity theft protections and credit monitoring for two years. 

However, due to the situation’s complexity, the company noted limitations in providing specific details about the impact of individual data.

Reuters noted that UnitedHealth stated that although a comprehensive analysis of the breached data would require “several months,” there’s no indication that doctors’ charts or complete medical histories of individuals were compromised. 

The company didn’t specify the exact number of affected individuals but mentioned that it’s actively monitoring online forums where hackers typically distribute or exchange such data packets.

UnitedHealth reported that 22 screenshots, supposedly showing compromised files, have been shared on the dark web. 

They assured that no additional data had been exposed, and there was no indication that doctors’ charts or complete medical histories were breached.

Price Action: UNH shares are down 1.16% at $485.52 at the last check Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo: B_A from Pixabay