Monday, December 9, 2024
Homecyber securityGHC-SCW Hack: Ransomware Actors Stolen User's Personal Information

GHC-SCW Hack: Ransomware Actors Stolen User’s Personal Information

Published on

SIEM as a Service

Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin (GHC-SCW) has announced a significant breach in their cybersecurity, leading to unauthorized access and theft of personal information by ransomware actors.

This incident has raised alarms about the security measures to protect sensitive health information and the increasing arrogance of cybercriminals targeting healthcare institutions.

In the early hours of January 25, 2024, GHC-SCW’s vigilant IT Department detected unauthorized access within their network.

- Advertisement - SIEM as a Service

Swift action was taken to isolate and secure the network, which temporarily made several systems unavailable.

Although the attackers attempted to encrypt GHC-SCW’s system, they were frustrated.

The healthcare provider promptly reported the incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and engaged external cyber incident response experts to assist in restoring and securing their network and systems.

Document
Stop Advanced Phishing Attack With AI

AI-Powered Protection for Business Email Security

Trustifi’s Advanced threat protection prevents the widest spectrum of sophisticated attacks before they reach a user’s mailbox. Stopping 99% of phishing attacks missed by other email security solutions. .

Discovery of Data Theft

The investigation into the breach took a grim turn on February 9, 2024, when evidence emerged that the attackers had managed to exfiltrate data, including protected health information (PHI).

The stolen PHI encompassed a range of sensitive details such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and death, social security numbers, member numbers, and Medicare and Medicaid numbers.

The breach was confirmed when a foreign ransomware gang contacted GHC-SCW, claiming responsibility for the attack and data theft.

GHC-SCW has taken the breach seriously, working closely with the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to mitigate potential harm.

Affected individuals and all necessary state and federal agencies and certain consumer reporting agencies have been informed of the breach.

GHC-SCW has strengthened its security measures across all systems and networks to prevent future incidents.

These enhancements include strengthening existing controls, improving data backup procedures, and intensifying user training and awareness programs.

Assurance to Affected Individuals

Despite the alarming nature of the breach, GHC-SCW has assured that there is no indication that the stolen information has been used or further disclosed.

The healthcare provider is taking comprehensive steps to mitigate any potential harm resulting from this incident and is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of the information in its possession.

The GHC-SCW hack serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities within the healthcare sector and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures.

As cybercriminals become increasingly sophisticated, healthcare providers must remain vigilant and proactive in protecting sensitive health information.

GHC-SCW’s response to the incident demonstrates a commitment to security and the well-being of its members.

Still, it underscores the ongoing challenges in safeguarding personal information in the digital age.

Secure your emails in a heartbeat! To find your ideal email security vendor, Take a Free 30-Second Assessment.

Divya
Divya
Divya is a Senior Journalist at GBhackers covering Cyber Attacks, Threats, Breaches, Vulnerabilities and other happenings in the cyber world.

Latest articles

DaMAgeCard Attack – New SD Card Attack Lets Hackers Directly Access System Memory

Security researchers have identified a significant vulnerability dubbed "DaMAgeCard Attack" in the new SD...

Deloitte Denies Breach, Claims Only Single System Affected

Ransomware group Brain Cipher claimed to have breached Deloitte UK and threatened to publish...

Top Five Industries Most Frequently Targeted by Phishing Attacks

Researchers analyzed phishing attacks from Q3 2023 to Q3 2024 and identified the top...

Russian BlueAlpha APT Exploits Cloudflare Tunnels to Distribute Custom Malware

BlueAlpha, a Russian state-sponsored group, is actively targeting Ukrainian individuals and organizations by using...

API Security Webinar

72 Hours to Audit-Ready API Security

APIs present a unique challenge in this landscape, as risk assessment and mitigation are often hindered by incomplete API inventories and insufficient documentation.

Join Vivek Gopalan, VP of Products at Indusface, in this insightful webinar as he unveils a practical framework for discovering, assessing, and addressing open API vulnerabilities within just 72 hours.

Discussion points

API Discovery: Techniques to identify and map your public APIs comprehensively.
Vulnerability Scanning: Best practices for API vulnerability analysis and penetration testing.
Clean Reporting: Steps to generate a clean, audit-ready vulnerability report within 72 hours.

More like this

DaMAgeCard Attack – New SD Card Attack Lets Hackers Directly Access System Memory

Security researchers have identified a significant vulnerability dubbed "DaMAgeCard Attack" in the new SD...

Deloitte Denies Breach, Claims Only Single System Affected

Ransomware group Brain Cipher claimed to have breached Deloitte UK and threatened to publish...

Top Five Industries Most Frequently Targeted by Phishing Attacks

Researchers analyzed phishing attacks from Q3 2023 to Q3 2024 and identified the top...