Tyler Cross
Published on: February 23, 2024
Change Healthcare, a major US healthcare company, recently had its systems taken down by a suspected state-sponsored hacking group.
“A suspected nation-state associated cyber security threat actor had gained access to some of the Change Healthcare information technology systems,” the SEC writes.
The attack caused widespread disruptions for pharmacies nationwide, including titans like CVS, Publix, and Walgreens among dozens of smaller companies. Some were unable to bring up insurance claims, while others reported being unable to fill prescriptions. When taking into consideration that CVS services over 9,000 pharmacies across the country, the impact is clear.
Social media was aflame with conversations about the attack.
“My fiancé works at Walgreens in the pharmacy, and they had problems with insurance not going through and putting prices on prescriptions. It was evidently a lot more than just the phones,” posted an X user.
“I have been trying all over Tucson, az to get my prescriptions filled, but it seems that all the pharmacies are down. Albertsons, Safeway, Walmart, cvs, and Walgreens,” writes another.
Due to Change Healthcare’s systems being taken down completely, thousands of pharmacies and facilities were unable to manage their payment and billing information. This resulted in large delays in prescriptions being filled.
Change Healthcare worked alongside pharmacies and provided clinical systems for various professionals. With tens of millions of records potentially impacted by the attack and a national disruption to the supply chain, the hackers behind the attack succeeded in causing chaos.
The SEC released an 8k filing detailing that they believe the hacks were carried out by a state-sponsored hacking group. This is in part due to the sophistication of the attack and the methods used by the attackers.
“The Company is working diligently to restore those systems and resume normal operations as soon as possible, but cannot estimate the duration or extent of the disruption at this time,” Change Health said in a press release.
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- Source: https://www.safetydetectives.com/news/nationwide-pharmacy-delays-caused-by-breach/
