UnitedHealth Cyberattack Exposes Data of 190 Million Americans in Largest U.S. Healthcare Breach

The February 2024 ransomware attack on Change Healthcare disrupted medical claims processing and revealed sensitive personal and health information.

UnitedHealth Group confirmed the breach impacted 190 million Americans, nearly doubling earlier estimates of 100 million affected individuals.
The attack on Change Healthcare, a UnitedHealth subsidiary, compromised names, Social Security numbers, medical records, and financial information.
Hackers accessed the system using stolen credentials lacking multi-factor authentication and demanded ransoms, which UnitedHealth paid to prevent further data exposure.
The breach caused months-long disruptions in the U.S. healthcare system, delaying medical claims processing for hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies.
UnitedHealth faces ongoing federal investigations and legal actions, including a lawsuit from Nebraska’s Attorney General alleging consumer protection violations.