UnitedHealth CEO Admits Paying $22 Million Ransom to BlackCat Hackers. CEO Calls It One of the Hardest Decisions of His Career

2024-05-02 133

UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty admitted to the Senate that the company paid $22 million in ransom to the BlackCat ransomware gang. BlackCat hacked into Change Healthcare, owned by UnitedHealth, through compromised credentials in February. The hack disrupted healthcare providers for months as UnitedHealth shut down Change Healthcare's system for a week. Some senators said providers are still awaiting payments from claims filed in February. Witty said the decision to pay was entirely his and called it one of the hardest of his career. UnitedHealth handles over one-third of US patient records and oversees 1 in 10 doctors.