Federal data breach may be the biggest hack in US history

7 hours ago

The cyberattack on Change Healthcare, detected in February 2024, is the largest exposure of personal health data in U.S. history, affecting approximately 190 million people.
Attackers gained access through a Citrix portal lacking multifactor authentication, leading to data exfiltration and ransomware deployment within nine days.
UnitedHealth Group paid a $22 million ransom to regain system control, drawing criticism for potentially incentivizing future attacks.
The breach's scope expanded from 100 million to 190 million affected individuals, surpassing previous records like the 2015 OPM hack (21 million affected).
Unlike prior cyber incidents (e.g., SolarWinds), this attack targeted a commercial healthcare chokepoint, disrupting prescriptions, payments, and care nationwide.
Stolen data includes health records, insurance details, and payment information, posing long-term risks of financial fraud and medical identity theft.
Regulators and lawmakers are scrutinizing the incident as a case study for cybersecurity in critical health infrastructure, with calls for stricter authentication and notification rules.
The breach highlights systemic vulnerabilities in centralized healthcare processing, prompting reevaluation of vendor dependence and backup solutions.
Patients face enduring risks, as stolen health data cannot be easily remediated like credit card information, complicating future care and privacy.

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