Change Healthcare outages reportedly caused by ransomware

On Wednesday February 21, 2024, Change Healthcare—a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group—experienced serious system outages due to a cyberattack. In a Form 8-K filing the company said it: “identified a suspected nation-state associated cyber security threat actor had gained access to some of the Chan...

Change Healthcare Ransomware Attack: BlackCat Hackers Quickly Returned After FBI Bust

Two months ago, the FBI “disrupted” the BlackCat ransomware group. They're already back—and their latest attack is causing delays at pharmacies across the US...

Pharmacies Giving Patient Records to Police without Warrants

Add pharmacies to the list of industries that are giving private data to the police without a warrant...

Police Get Medical Records without a Warrant

More unconstrained surveillance: Lawmakers noted the pharmacies policies for releasing medical records in a letter dated Tuesday to the Department of Health and Human Services HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. The letter--signed by Sen. Ron Wyden D-Ore., Rep. Pramila Jayapal D-Wash., and Rep. Sara...

Spammers Using Fake YouTube Notifications to Peddle Drugs

Spammers are attempting to deceive unsuspecting users into clicking on fake YouTube links that lead to a counterfeit drug website, according to a report yesterday from security firm Webroot. Dancho Danchev writes that pharmaceutical scammers are circulating emails that mimic legitimate Youtube...

Report: Google May Face $500m Fine Over Rogue Pharma Ads

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that search giant Google is close to reaching a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over an investigation of the company’s policy of running ads from online pharmacies that operate outside U.S. borders and in violation of U.S. law. Google has not made ...

Google and Godaddy Head Coalition Against Rogue Pharmacies

Herbal Viagra peddlers beware: Google and GoDaddy are coordinating the establishment of a non-profit organization dedicated to curbing the spread of illegal online pharmaceutical companies. The two firms plan to share information and work together to educate consumers about the dangers of buying...

FDA Trying to Close Fake Prescription Sites

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pressuring a number of Internet service providers to shut off nearly 12 dozen Web sites alleged to be selling counterfeit or unapproved prescription drugs. The agency said none of the sites represent pharmacies located in the United States or Canada, as mo...