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Change Healthcare Breach Impacted 190 Million Americans | PYMNTS.com

Jan 26, 2025 - pymnts.com
The ransomware attack on UnitedHealth’s Change Healthcare business last year has been revealed to have impacted approximately 190 million individuals, nearly double the initial estimates. This incident is now considered the largest medical-related data breach in U.S. history. Despite the breach, UnitedHealth stated there is no evidence of misuse of individuals' information. The attack caused significant disruptions in the American healthcare system, as Change Healthcare is a major processor of health claims and data. Hackers stole and published large amounts of health and insurance-related information, prompting Change Healthcare to pay at least two ransoms to prevent further data exposure.

This breach is part of a series of high-profile cybersecurity incidents, including a breach at National Public Data affecting 2.9 billion people and the Snowflake data breach involving major companies like AT&T and Santander Bank. These incidents highlight the growing vulnerabilities in enterprise systems. Additionally, there has been a significant increase in the adoption of AI-powered cybersecurity management systems, with 55% of chief operating officers from large companies reporting their implementation by August 2024, up from 17% in May of the previous year.

Key takeaways:

  • The ransomware attack on UnitedHealth’s Change Healthcare business impacted approximately 190 million people, making it the largest medical-related data breach in U.S. history.
  • Change Healthcare paid at least two ransoms to prevent further information from being made public, although no misuse of individuals' information has been reported.
  • The breach was part of a series of high-profile cybersecurity incidents, including a breach at National Public Data affecting 2.9 billion people and the Snowflake data breach involving over 160 major companies.
  • The adoption of AI-powered automated cybersecurity management systems has significantly increased, with 55% of COOs from large companies reporting their use by August 2024.
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