Well, blimey! It seems that mischief is afoot in the world of healthcare and cybersecurity. Remember that recent cyber-attack at Change Healthcare? The one that caused quite a bit of bother for pharmacies and hospitals all over the nation? Well, it’s been confirmed to have been a ransomware attack.
Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty: the execs at Change Healthcare point the finger at the notorious AlphV, also known as BlackCat. Y’know, the chaps responsible for quite a few cyberattacks that keep us up at night. It was Reuters who first linked BlackCat to this incident but we hadn’t heard a peep from them. Until now, that is, when they popped a message to DataBreaches essentially saying, “Yep, that was us!” DataBreaches is now waiting to see if they’ll spill any more tea on the topic.
Now, let’s roll back to that fateful day, the 21st of February. It wasn’t just a routine Monday – oh no – it shook things up quite a bit, and its effects are still very much ongoing. Picture this: pharmacies unable to process prescriptions and payments – a right pain in the you-know-what for the folks trying to get their medication.
In response to the kerfuffle, Change Healthcare brought in the experts to sort out the mess. They caught wind of the outside threat and promptly hit the “OFF” switch on their own systems to prevent further damage. Tell you what, that’s some quick thinking, innit? But it wasn’t just about stopping the immediate threat; they also made sure their partners and clients didn’t have to worry about doing the same on their side.
For those of you curious lot wondering about Optum, UnitedHealthcare, and UnitedHealth Group – were they affected? Well, according to Change Healthcare, they got away unscathed. No issues there; systems safe and sound.
So, what’s next, you ask? Well, the team at Change Healthcare isn’t about to cut corners just to get things back up and running willy-nilly. Nah, they’re taking their sweet time to restore their systems safely and correctly, to avoid additional risk. If there are any whiffs of trouble with the system, they’re ready to pull the plug and disconnect at a moment’s notice. Now that’s dedication!
They expect this disruption to last at least through the day. But hey, at least they’re up front about it and promise to keep us updated. And you can count on us to pass that information along to you as soon as we hear anything.
So there we have it, folks. It’s a bit of a sticky wicket, what with the pharmacies and hospitals still reeling, but they’re doing their best to get back to tip-top shape. And remember, in the game of cybersecurity, it’s always best to expect the unexpected. Keep your wits about you!
by Parker Bytes
