"Change Healthcare Cyberattack Causes Significant Disruption"
US healthcare technology giant Change Healthcare recently fell victim to a cyberattack that resulted in widespread network disruptions. The incident was initially disclosed on February 21 at 02:15 EST, when the company announced that some of its applications are unavailable. In an update at 08:38 EST, Change Healthcare said that it was experiencing enterprise-wide connectivity issues as a result of the incident. Over 100 applications across dental, pharmacy, medical record, clinical, enrollment, patient engagement, revenue, and payment services were listed as affected. In the afternoon, Change Healthcare also disclosed that the disruption was caused by an outside threat and that it had disconnected its systems to contain the incident. In 2022, Change Healthcare merged with Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, creating one of the largest healthcare technology companies in the US. The organization handles payment processes for healthcare providers and payers across the country. The company has access to the medical records of roughly one third of US patients, handling billions of healthcare transactions per year, and the disruption has had a significant impact on the healthcare system, with some pharmacies being unable to process prescriptions.
SecurityWeek reports: "Change Healthcare Cyberattack Causes Significant Disruption"