UnitedHealth’s subsidiary, Change Healthcare, found itself at the epicenter of a cyber storm when it fell victim to a sophisticated cyberattack. The incident sent ripples through the entire U.S. healthcare ecosystem.
To give you an idea of the company’s size and impact, in a 2022 lawsuit, United was cited as having 50% of U.S. medical claims go through their “electronic data interchange clearinghouse.” Yes, you heard that right.
The saga began when UnitedHealth Group unearthed evidence of a sophisticated cyber intrusion, attributing the breach to a “suspected nation-state-associated” threat actor. Swift action ensued, with UnitedHealth isolating and disconnecting the compromised systems. But the tentacles of disruption had already woven their way into Change Healthcare’s network, causing widespread outages, specifically leading to severe prescription backlogs and financial losses for providers.
With subsidiaries like Optum servicing millions of patients across the U.S., the ripple effects extend far beyond Change Healthcare’s digital borders. UnitedHealth continues to assert a semblance of assurance, expressing confidence that Optum and UnitedHealthcare systems remained unscathed.
The allure of health data to nefarious actors is real.
