The largest healthcare data breach in U.S. history was the Change Healthcare breach in 2024, which affected an estimated 190 million patient records. This attack, attributed to the BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware group, severely disrupted healthcare operations across the country, impacting pharmacy transactions, billing, and insurance claims.
Here's a more detailed look at some of the largest healthcare data breaches:
Change Healthcare (2024):
Impact: 190 million patient records.
Cause: Ransomware attack by the BlackCat/ALPHV group.
Consequences: Disrupted pharmacy transactions, billing systems, and insurance claims.
Anthem Blue Cross (2015):
Impact: 78.8 million patient records.
Cause: Cyberattack.
Data Stolen: Names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth.
Community Health Systems (2014):
Impact: 4.5 million patients.
Cause: Cybercriminals believed to be in China exploiting a software vulnerability.
Trinity Health (2020):
Impact: 3.3 million patients.
Cause: Ransomware attack through a third-party vendor, Blackbaud.
OneTouchPoint (2022):
Impact: 2.6 million people.
Cause: Illegal access of its systems by cybercriminals.
Broward Health (2022):
Impact: 1.3 million patients.
Cause: Data breach through a compromised third-party medical provider.
Other Notable Breaches:
Shields Healthcare Group (2022): 2 million individuals affected.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (2022): 1.2 million patient records.
Novant Health (2022): 1.3 million individuals.
Baptist Medical Center (2022): 1.24 million individuals.
These breaches highlight the vulnerability of the healthcare industry to cyberattacks and the significant impact these attacks can have on patient data and healthcare operations.