Ransomware Attack on Health Care System

SOURCE npr.org
A ransomware attack by the Black Cat group has disrupted pharmacies and hospitals nationwide, impacting health care payment systems and leading to difficulties in filling prescriptions and seeking medical treatment.

Key Points

  • UnitedHealth Group accuses Black Cat ransomware gang of hacking health care payment systems
  • More than 90% of pharmacies in the U.S. impacted by the outage
  • Cybersecurity firms hired to investigate the breach

Pros

  • Increased awareness of cybersecurity threats in the health care industry
  • Efforts to track the outage and find workarounds to ensure access to medications

Cons

  • Disruption of health care services nationwide
  • Potential compromise of sensitive patient data