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☆ The government is getting fed up with ransomware payments fueling endless cycle of cyberattacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Barbara Booth | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Zeroing in on cyber insurance as a key area for reform comes as the U.S. government scrambles to find ways to disrupt ransomware networks. For many organizations, deciding whether to pay a ransom is a difficult and urgent decision. The hacker group allegedly demanded a ransom to return the stolen data, though it remains unclear whether NPD paid it. Darren Williams, founder of BlackFog, a cybersecurity firm that specializes in ransomware prevention and cyber warfare, is firmly against paying ransoms. UnitedHealth Group experienced this firsthand after its subsidiary, Change Healthcare, was hit by the ALPHV/BlackCat ransom group in April 2023.

Persons: Anne Neuberger, James S, Ann Neuberger, scrambles, Paul Underwood, Underwood, Bryan Hornung, Hornung, I've, they'd, —, Ransom, LVHN, Darren Williams, BlackCat, LoanDepot Organizations: Brady, White, Washington , D.C, National Intelligence, FBI, Xact IT, Social, Lehigh Valley Health, Federal Trade Commission, NPD, Jerico, UnitedHealth Group, Change, Healthcare, LoanDepot Locations: Washington ,, what's, Pennsylvania, U.S

☆ 37% of Americans paid a late fee in the last 12 months, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

If you paid late once and there's a high chance you will pay late again in the near future because of a financial issue, let the lender know, said Schulz. "It's one thing to go to the lender every other month and say, 'Hey, I was late with this, can you waive that?' If you made a one-time mistake, you can reach out to your lender and ask to have that late payment scrubbed from your credit report, experts say. "Your credit report is just a collection of a bunch of data points representing how good you are paying debts back," Schulz said. If lenders begin to "cherry pick" what goes on in the report, the data becomes unreliable, and it doesn't help lenders make decisions.

Persons: it's, Greg McBride, Schulz, McBride, " Schulz

☆ UnitedHealth CEO tells lawmakers the company paid hackers a $22 million ransom
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Change Healthcare provides payment, revenue management and other solutions like e-prescription software. UnitedHealth told CNBC in April that it paid a ransom to try and protect patient data. Its business unit Optum — which provides care to 103 million customers — and Change Healthcare — which touches one in three patient records — merged in 2022. Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in his opening remarks that the Change Healthcare breach serves as a "dire warning about the consequences of too-big-to-fail mega-corporations." Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., pressed Witty to share how UnitedHealth is working to ensure something like the Change Healthcare breach will not happen again.

Persons: Andrew, UnitedHealth, Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyden, Thom Tillis, they're, Tillis, Blackcat, Michael Bennet Organizations: Senate, Capitol, U.S ., Finance, UnitedHealth, Healthcare, CNBC, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, U.S . Department of Justice Locations: Washington , DC

☆ UnitedHealth Group has paid more than $3 billion to providers following cyberattack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

UnitedHealth Group has paid out an additional $1 billion to providers that have been impacted by the Change Healthcare cyberattack since last week, bringing the total amount of funds advanced to more than $3.3 billion, the company said on Wednesday. UnitedHealth, which owns Change Healthcare, discovered in February that a cyber threat actor had breached part of the unit's information technology network. The interruptions left many health-care providers temporarily unable to fill prescriptions or get reimbursed for their services by insurers. Many health-care providers rely on reimbursement cash flow to operate, so the fallout has been substantial. Federal agencies like the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have introduced additional options to ensure that states and other stakeholders can make interim payments to providers, according to a release.

Persons: UnitedHealth, it's, Mandiant, Jamie Raskin, Andrew, Raskin, Biden Organizations: UnitedHealth, Healthcare, SEC, CNBC, American Hospital Association, Medicare, Medicaid Services, U.S . Department of Justice, of State, Wednesday, United Health, Palo Alto Networks, Change Healthcare Locations: Palo

UnitedHealth is testing the last major system it must restore from last month’s Change Healthcare cyberattack, but it has no date yet for finishing the recovery. The health care giant said Monday that it is testing software for submitting medical claims. Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesEarlier this month, UnitedHealth said that it restored nearly all of Change Healthcare’s system for processing prescriptions. Late last week, the company restored Change Healthcare’s electronic payments platform, which involves billing and payments between care providers and payers like insurers. UnitedHealth said Monday that it is expanding temporary funding to support doctors and other care providers affected by the attack.

Persons: UnitedHealth Organizations: Healthcare, American Hospital Association, Federal, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP

☆ Biden administration investigating Change Healthcare cyberattack as disruptions continue
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The OCR enforces the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's security, privacy and breach notification rules, which most health plans, providers and clearinghouses such as Change Healthcare are required to follow to protect health information. "OCR's investigation of Change Healthcare and UHG will focus on whether a breach of protected health information occurred and Change Healthcare's and UHG's compliance with the HIPAA Rules," the department said. Change Healthcare offers electronic prescription software and tools for payment and revenue cycle management. Parent company UnitedHealth discovered that a cyber threat actor breached part of the unit's information technology network on Feb. 21, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In late February, Change Healthcare said that ransomware group Blackcat was behind the attack.

Persons: UnitedHealth, Blackcat Organizations: U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, UnitedHealth Group, Healthcare, U.S, HHS, Civil Rights, Change Healthcare, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, CNBC, SEC, Department of Justice

☆ ‘We’re hemorrhaging money’: US health clinics try to stay open after unprecedented cyberattack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —For more than two weeks, a cyberattack has disrupted business at health care providers across the United States, forcing small clinics to scramble to stay in business and exposing the fragility of the billing system that underpins American health care. It prevented some insurance payments on prescription drugs from processing, leaving many care providers effectively footing the bill without reimbursement. Health care groups have pleaded with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer medical practices a financial lifeline. A week ago, Change Healthcare announced plans for a temporary loan program to get money flowing to health care providers affected by the outage. Tyler Mason, a spokesperson for Change Healthcare, declined to comment when asked if the company had paid off the hackers.

Persons: ”, Catherine Reinheimer, Mel Davies, ” Jesse Ehrenfeld, Reinheimer, Richard Pollack, Carter Groome, ” Groome, Tyler Mason, ALPHV, ” Ari Redbord, Joshua Corman, Corman, “ Organizations: CNN, Change Healthcare, Health, Department of Health, Human Services, Oregon Oncology, Healthcare, American Medical Association, US, Medical Group Management Association, Community Oncology Alliance, American Hospital Association, Justice Department, ALPHV, Labs Locations: United States, Philadelphia, UnitedHealth, Oregon

☆ UnitedHealth working to restore Change Healthcare systems by mid-March, company says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

UnitedHealth Group on Thursday said it expects to restore Change Healthcare's systems by mid-March, offering a potential resolution to the ransomware attack that has disrupted crucial operations across the U.S. health-care system. There is "no indication" that any other UnitedHealth systems were compromised in the attack, the company said in the release. On Friday, UnitedHealth announced a temporary funding assistance program to help health-care providers that are experiencing cash flow problems as a result of the attack. In late February, Change Healthcare said that ransomware group Blackcat was behind the cybersecurity attack. Ransomware attacks can be particularly dangerous within the health-care sector, as they can cause immediate harm to patients' safety when life-saving systems go dark.

Persons: UnitedHealth, Andrew, Blackcat Organizations: UnitedHealth, Securities and Exchange Commission, Healthcare, U.S . Department of Justice

The ramifications of a cyberattack on a critical health care technology company are still being felt across the U.S. nearly two weeks later. Change Healthcare has acknowledged the hack, which reportedly affected billing and care authorization portals. “Our experts are working to address the matter, and we are working closely with law enforcement and leading third-party consultants such as Mandiant and Palo Alto Networks on this attack against Change Healthcare’s systems,” Change Healthcare said. “On Feb. 21, 2024, we discovered a threat actor gained access to one of our Change Healthcare environments,” Change Healthcare said. A spokesperson affiliated with Change Healthcare declined to answer whether a ransom has been paid, according to Wired.

Persons: paychecks, Chuck Schumer, Jesse Ehrenfeld, Rick Pollack, “, ”, Schumer, ” Schumer, Pollack Organizations: Healthcare, Palo Alto Networks, New, American Medical Association, Department of Health, Human Services, American Hospital Association, HHS, AHA, UnitedHealth Group, The Washington Post, Justice Department, Health, Medicare, Medicaid Services, Wired, Change Healthcare Locations: U.S, Palo, New York, Optum

☆ Health insurance giant roiled by cyberattack sets up loan program for cash-strapped health providers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Change Healthcare, the health insurance IT giant disrupted for days by a cyberattack, on Friday announced plans for a temporary loan program to get money flowing to health care providers affected by the outage. It’s a stop-gap measure meant to give some financial relief to health care providers, which analysts say are losing millions of dollars per day because of the outage. Some US officials and health care executives told CNN it may be weeks before Change Healthcare returns to normal operations. The temporary loan program will help health care providers with “short-term cash flow needs,” Change Healthcare said in a statement. A unit of healthcare conglomerate UnitedHealth, Change Healthcare processes prescriptions to insurance for tens of thousands of pharmacies nationwide.

Persons: ” Carter Groome Organizations: CNN, Friday, Healthcare, White, Health, Human Services, Senior, American Hospital Association, First Health, Justice Department Locations: Maryland, Michigan

☆ Ransomware group Blackcat is behind cyberattack on UnitedHealth division, company says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Traders work at the post where UnitedHealth Group is traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The company said it's working with Mandiant, which is owned by Google , and cybersecurity software vendor Palo Alto Networks . In a since-deleted post on the dark web, Blackcat said Wednesday that it was behind the attack on Change Healthcare's systems. Change's parent company UnitedHealth Group said it discovered that a cyber threat actor breached part of the unit's information technology network on Feb. 21, according to a filing with the SEC. Brett Callow, a threat analyst at the cybersecurity company Emsisoft, said ransomware groups will often make posts like these in an effort to bring victims to the negotiating table.

Persons: that's, Blackcat, Brett Callow, Emsisoft, Callow, they're, UnitedHealth, John Riggi, Riggi Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Healthcare, CNBC, Google, Palo Alto Networks, UnitedHealth, SEC, U.S . Department of Justice, Change Healthcare, American Hospital Association Locations: U.S

☆ Outages from Change Healthcare cyberattack causing financial 'mess' for doctors
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Small private practices and health-care providers are facing mounting financial pressures as crucial reimbursement systems remain down for the ninth day, following the cyberattack on Change Healthcare. Change Healthcare offers tools for payment and revenue cycle management that help facilitate transactions between providers and most major insurance companies. As of Thursday, Change Healthcare has not shared any updates about when it expects its systems to be back online. Change Healthcare on Thursday said that ransomware group Blackcat is behind the attack. He said it's not clear whether Change Healthcare will take on the responsibility of processing all the claims or if he'll need to hire additional staff to help.

Persons: Purvi, hasn't, Parikh, Kiranjit, immunologist, Dan Inder Sraow, it's, Sraow, Dr, Jesse Ehrenfeld, Ehrenfeld, Ravi Parikh Organizations: Healthcare, Change Healthcare, UnitedHealth Group, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, CNBC, U.S . Department of Justice, Google, Palo Alto Networks, Kiranjit Khalsa, Khalsa, American Medical Association, UnitedHealth, DOJ, Wall Locations: New York City, Scottsdale , Arizona, Phoenix , Arizona, U.S

☆ Cyberattack on health insurance IT giant continues to disrupt business for doctors, therapists
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“I’ve begun manually billing and I’m praying that I will be paid,” Disney told CNN. Lack of payment isn’t sustainableCarter Groome, chief executive of Health First Advisory, a cybersecurity firm whose clients include big health care organizations, estimated that some health care providers are losing more than $100 million per day because of the outage. “That’s just not sustainable in an industry with not a lot of cash on hand,” Groome told CNN. As of Wednesday morning, Change Health Care said the company’s affected network was still offline. Hackers using the malware have claimed a slew of attacks on US universities, health care providers and hotels in the last 18 months.

Persons: “ I’ve, ” Disney, Purvi, Parikh hasn’t, Carter Groome, That’s, ” Groome, ”, Leslie Porras, ” Porras, Tyler Mason, Mason, Parikh, ” Mason, Amy Cizik, Cizik, ” Cizik, Andrea Palm, ALPHV ransomware, John Riggi, ” Riggi Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Disney, Health, Advisory, Pipeline, ”, Healthcare, Care, “, Senior US, FBI, Human Service, Homeland Security, Reuters, Justice Department, American Hospital Association, AHA Locations: Maryland, New York, Utah, Salt Lake City

☆ An infamous hacking group is reportedly behind the cyberattack that has left US pharmacies reeling
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Camilo Fonseca | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A high-profile ransomware gang is responsible for the outage that has paralyzed US pharmacies, Reuters reported. Blackcat is behind the attack on UnitedHealth Group's claims management arm last week, per the report. The outage at Chain Healthcare, the payment management arm of healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group, was caused by a ransomware attack by hackers affiliated with Blackcat, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed sources. AdvertisementLast week's attack on Change Healthcare forced its parent company to disconnect its own systems "to prevent further impact," according to UnitedHealth Group. But experts aren't sure if the group responsible for last week's hack was sponsored by foreign actors.

Persons: Blackcat, UnitedHealth, —, Reddit, cybercriminals, Brett Callow Organizations: Reuters, Service, Healthcare, UnitedHealth, Blackcat, Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, UnitedHealth Group, American Pharmacists Association, SEC, Colonial Pipeline, Google, Palo Alto Networks

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Casino company Caesars Entertainment on Thursday joined Las Vegas gambling rival MGM Resorts International in reporting that it was hit by a cyberattack, but added in a report to federal regulators that its casino and online operations were not disrupted. Caesars is the largest casino owner in the world, with more than 65 million Caesars Rewards members and properties in 18 states and Canada under the Caesars, Harrah’s, Horseshoe and Eldorado brands. MGM Resorts said reservations and casino floors in Las Vegas and other states were affected. MGM Resorts has has about 40 million loyalty rewards members and tens of thousands of hotel rooms in Las Vegas at properties including the MGM Grand, Bellagio, Aria and Mandalay Bay. Some MGM Resorts computer systems were still down Thursday, including hotel reservations and payroll.

Persons: “, ”, ” Brett Callow, Emsisoft, Callow, Charles Carmakal, ” Carmakal, Mandiant, ” Mandiant, Brian Ahern, pinky, ’ ”, Frank Bajak Organizations: LAS VEGAS, —, Caesars Entertainment, Las, MGM Resorts International, Securities and Exchange Commission, Social, New, MGM Resorts, “, Caesars, Associated Press, SEC, MGM, Aria, FBI, CNA Financial Locations: Las Vegas, Reno, New Zealand, Russia, U.S, Canada, Harrah’s, Eldorado, Mandalay, China, Macau, British Columbia, Boston

☆ Italian asset manager Azimut targeted by BlackCat hackers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, July 24 (Reuters) - Italian asset manager Azimut (AZMT.MI) said on Monday it had suffered a cyberattack that did not harm its customers' sensitive data, and had received a ransom request which it rebuffed. Israeli hacking monitoring start-up DarkFeedsaid the attack was carried out by BlackCat, the same ransomware group which in September stole large amounts of data from state-owned Italian energy services firm GSE. Tel Aviv-based DarkFeed said on its website that Azimut had been hit on July 21, listing it as one of BlackCat's 477 victims. BlackCat, also known as ALPHV, emerged in late 2021 and is known for having launched sophisticated attacks on scores of companies across the U.S. and Europe. Reporting by Elvira Pollina and Valentina Za, editing by Gavin JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Azimut, BlackCat, DarkFeed, Elvira Pollina, Valentina Za, Gavin Jones Organizations: MILAN, Thomson Locations: Italian, Tel Aviv, Europe, Italy

☆ Australia names air force veteran as cybersecurity chief amid rise in data breaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 23 (Reuters) - Australia on Friday named a senior air force commander as its first cybersecurity boss to help lead the government's response to major data breaches and boost the nation's security capabilities amid a recent spike in network intrusions. Air Marshal Darren Goldie, a 30-year veteran, will become the national cybersecurity coordinator, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. He will be supported by a national office within the department of home affairs and begin his term on July 3. HWL Ebsworth has flagged ransomware group BlackCat, also known as ALPHV, may have published some stolen data on the dark web. Major breaches were reported by health insurer Medibank Private (MPL.AX) and telco Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI).

Persons: Darren Goldie, Anthony Albanese, " Albanese, HWL Ebsworth, Goldie, Clare O'Neil, telco, Renju Jose, Jamie Freed Organizations: SYDNEY, Home Affairs, Medibank, telco Optus, Singapore Telecommunications, Thomson Locations: Australia, Sydney

☆ Hackers who say they stole Reddit data demand the platform reverses its API pricing policy and pay $4.5 million ransom it previously asked for
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Hackers are demanding Reddit policy changes amid an ongoing battle over its API pricing. As well as the funds, they are now demanding Reddit reverses its API pricing plans, per The Verge. Hackers are threatening to publicly release 80 GB of Reddit data they say they have stolen. Last week, the hackers followed up by continuing to demand the money and additionally asking Reddit to reverse its planned API pricing changes, per The Verge. The planned API pricing changes have proved controversial, sparking protests and blackouts across the site.

Persons: Reddit, Dominic Alvieri, Steve Huffman Organizations: Twitter, NBC

☆ Hackers threaten to leak stolen Reddit data if company doesn’t pay $4.5 million and change controversial pricing policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

In their post, the hackers claim they first demanded a $4.5 million payout “for the deletion of the data and our silence” in April. Reddit CTO Chris Slowe previously posted about a security incident that took place in early February. A Reddit spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Monday that BlackCat’s post relates to the February incident. The spokesperson reiterated that no user data was accessed, but declined to comment beyond that. “We are very confident that Reddit will not pay for its data,” the group wrote in the post on the dark web.

Persons: CNN —, Chris Slowe, Slowe, “, ALPHV, ”, Brett Callow, Emsisoft Organizations: CNN

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