100 Million people Hacked at UnitedHealth
- Privacy Law In Canada
- Oct 27, 2024
- 1 min read
In one of the worst data breaches in US history, personal information of 100 million people was affected.
To put this in context, the United States Census Bureau reports that there were 125 million households in the US in 2022.
According to testimony in a U.S. Senate hearing last week, hackers gained access to one server. The company speculates that the hackers used stolen passwords to enter the server, which did not have multifactor authentication.
UnitedHealth CEO, Andrew Witty, who testified that the personal information of a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken. He also said that UnitedHealth is a frequent target, and faces attempted hacks every 70 seconds.
Witty stated further that the hack happened in February, 2024, and they are still trying to understand why the server did not have the additional security protection.
The cost of health insurance is passed on to the customer or the tax payer. UnitedHealth reported it paid $22 Million to the hackers. It also forecasts $705 Million in business disruptions, and “billions” of dollars in loans to health care providers affected by the hack, and to notify customers.
