A Ransom Note in Scrubs: The Hilarious Costs of Cyberattacks on Healthcare

Introduction

Cyber-threats can be as pleasant as stepping on a LEGO brick in the dark: they cause long-term costs, damage to your reputation, and of course, immediate consequences while the mayhem is unfolding too. Ah, the joys of modern technology!

When cybercriminals set their sights on critical infrastructure, they aren’t just going after the corporate giants. Nope, they’re playing a high-stakes game of “let’s scare everyone with data breaches!” Critical infrastructure is the lifeline of our busy, interconnected world. Think communications, travel, healthcare—you know, the things that keep us from losing our minds in our day-to-day lives.

Let’s dive into a real-life example of cyber chaos—the kind that turns the office coffee break into a scene straight out of a thriller. This brings us to the infamous cyberattack on Change Healthcare. Buckle up!

Attack on Change Healthcare

In February 2024, a ransomware attack struck a medical technology company that connects patients, providers, and payers in the good ol’ U.S. of A. You know, the company that handles about 1 in 3 patients in the country. That’s right! They have so many employees that counting them is an Olympic event—around 15K employees strong!

When the ransomware hit, it was like a domino effect in a healthcare game of Jenga. Change Healthcare’s platforms are crucial for processing a significant volume of billing and insurance transactions. So, when their systems went down, it caused widespread pandemonium. Hospitals, pharmacies, and medical practices were. . . let’s just say, not providing a fun time at the doctor’s office.

Healthcare providers suddenly couldn’t manage billing or claims processing. Imagine waiting at the doctor’s office only to find out your prescription is stuck in limbo because, oops, the system crashed. It’s not like you’re waiting for the new iPhone; this is health care! What happened to that urgent prescription? Spoiler alert: it didn’t magically fix itself.

Being a patient during this debacle must have felt like being trapped in a sitcom where nothing works as it should—cue the awkward soundtrack!

What Downtime Does for Critical Infrastructure

Diving deeper into this cyber mess, this particular attack is a classic example of ransomware targeting a third-party vendor. But hold onto your hats, because this is merely a snapshot of the vast—and, let’s be honest, rather chaotic—cyber-threat landscape.

Picture a chaotic workday. It’s already one of those weeks, and then BAM—system outage! Now you’re forced to revert to manual processes, which are about as fun as watching paint dry, and typically much slower and prone to mistakes. All it takes is one missed click, and you’ve created more problems than you’ve solved.

Now let’s talk dollars and cents. Change Healthcare reported over $1.5 billion in direct costs related to this breach. Yes, you read that right—billion with a ‘B.’ That’s a hefty sum for ransom payments and recovery efforts. And guess what? When the company suffers financially, it trickles down to employees and can even impact resources available for patient care. Suddenly, job security feels like a game of hot potato!

And just a friendly reminder: never pay the ransom! Because, plot twist: Less than half the organizations that pay actually get their files back. It’s like throwing a party for thieves—good luck with that guest list!

Even if they do return your data, often, they pull a fast one with double extortion. Essentially, they’ll come back to your door demanding more money—because it turns out, being a cybercriminal is a lucrative profession!