February’s crippling ransomware assault towards Change Healthcare, which noticed prescription orders delayed throughout america, continues to have critical penalties.
The cybercriminal group RansomHub printed a portion of what it claims to be the numerous tens of millions of affected person information it stole within the assault on the darkish net, together with medical info, insurance coverage information, and billing particulars.
RansomHub claims 4TB of stolen knowledge are up on the market to the best bidder until Change Healthcare pays a ransom. The haul is claimed to additionally comprise contracts and authorized agreements between Change Healthcare and its enterprise companions.
What makes the scenario somewhat extra complicated is that RansomHub isn’t the primary cybercriminal group to say duty for the extremely disruptive Change Healthcare hack.
The ransomware assault was initially attributed to the BlackCat ransomware gang (often known as ALPHV). Certainly, it was reported that BlackCat/ALPHV had acquired a cryptocurrency fee equal to US $22 million in early March in what was extensively assumed to be a ransom fee.
If that is correct, why would a unique cybercrime gang now seem like demanding a ransom fee from Change Healthcare? Is that this a separate knowledge breach, or two totally different teams trying to extort cash for a similar theft?
What is feasible is that the safety breach is being linked to 2 totally different teams as a result of associates and members of a ransomware gang have fallen out with one another and squabbled about how greatest to divide the proceeds.
For its half, RansomHub advised Wired that it was not affiliated with the BlackCat/ALPHV group and declined to reveal the ransom quantity demanded from Change Healthcare.
Regardless of the actuality is of who stole what, and the way a lot ransom they might have demanded, the sale of the exfiltrated knowledge raises the stakes dramatically for each sufferers and the business as a complete.
Sufferers now discover themselves at elevated threat of id theft and monetary fraud, in addition to probably discrimination primarily based upon their leaked medical info. In the meantime, insurers worry they might see a big surge in fraudulent claims which – in flip – may drive up prices for customers.
None of which is nice information, and raises an fascinating query – how will Change Healthcare reply to the most recent ransom demand?
Change Healthcare’s mum or dad firm, UnitedHealth Group, says that it continues to “make progress in mitigating the influence” of February’s cyber assault.
