US Pharmacies Became Target of Nationwide Ransomware Attacks

US pharmacies are having a hard time maintaining their operations as ransomware attacks continue to disrupt their businesses.

Enterprise pharmacies across the country are reporting several severe outages over the past week, hindering them from giving prescriptions to customers, according to CNN.

Among the most affected by the cyberattacks were Change Healthcare and UnitedHealth wherein threat actors could access their information technology systems.

The attacks on these major healthcare companies are estimated to impact tens of thousands of pharmacies nationwide.

As of writing, some operations have already returned as the pharmaceutical firms work with authorities on their investigation.

Healthcare Firms Point to State-Sponsored Hackers Over Cyberattacks

The cybercrime group "Blackcat," more commonly known as "ALPHV," has been accused of being behind the recent cyberattacks.

This is the same group responsible for last year's attack on MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment that cost the casinos millions due to the disruption.

Both healthcare companies linked the attacks as part of a state-sponsored cyber campaign against the US but did not say any specific country.

Healthcare Sector Vulnerable to Growing Cyberattack Campaigns

The healthcare sector has seen a rise in cyberattacks over the past years as threat actors employ more sophisticated methods to steal their data.

According to The Wall Street Journal, healthcare firms are prized target among ransomware groups for the "sensitive and financial information" they hold on patients, employees, and operations.

The firms are more compliant in giving the ransom money due to the sensitivity of the information and the risk of it being disseminated to the public.

Despite the importance of the information within their electronic system, many healthcare organizations still use outdated or unsupported cybersecurity systems.

According to a 2021 study from the National Institutes of Health, many healthcare staff also have "poor awareness" of cybersecurity or the firms lack the necessary policies to protect from such attacks.