Ransomware Attack: According to hackers, UnitedHealth Group paid $22 million

According to a post on a website frequented by cybercriminals, the UnitedHealth organization paid the Blackcat ransomware organization $22 million to retrieve hacked systems and data belonging to its subsidiary, Change Healthcare.

Furthermore, according to Reuters on Tuesday, March 5, a cryptocurrency tracking company’s analysis points to the possibility of a sizable transaction with the crooks.

Although they seem to have subsided, thousands of pharmacies, most of them smaller ones, reported experiencing significant difficulties submitting prescription orders and confirming insurance coverage.

The business stated that it is “focused on the investigation and restoring operations” in a statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

Although it has not verified paying a ransom, UnitedHealth Group has acknowledged encountering a cybersecurity issue caused by an entity going by the name “ALPHV/Blackcat.”

According to cybersecurity expert Scott Spiro, “the smoking gun, so to speak, was a publicly visible $22 million transaction on Bitcoin’s blockchain.”

“We are working on multiple approaches to restore the impacted environment and continue to be proactive and aggressive with all our systems, and if we suspect any issue with the system, we will immediately take action,” Change Healthcare said in the update. 

According to the Reuters article, Blackcat claimed to have stolen millions of documents from the firm, but eventually took down the post.

Change Healthcare’s billing processes have been badly interrupted by the hack, raising worries among healthcare professionals across the country. On Monday, March 4, the American Medical Association made a plea to the Biden administration requesting immediate assistance for the impacted physicians.