In 2024, many companies globally have become the target of cyberattacks. As we are halfway through the year, these incidents have affected over a billion records. All companies prioritize the data security of their clients and want the strongest security measures to avoid cybersecurity threats. In this situation, these data breaches are alarming for the current data security systems.
Such incidents not only affect the people whose data was stolen but also boost the criminals to take benefit of the cyberattacks.
As we delve into some of the most significant data breaches of the year including healthcare. Also reflecting on how businesses can strengthen their defenses to minimize such catastrophic incidents.
AT&T: A Double Blow to Data Security
According to resources, for AT&T, 2024 has been the worst year for data security. The telecoms giant informed two serious data breaches just months apart.
The first data breach in March had 73 million customer records stolen and exposed online, including phone numbers, names, and postal addresses. More concerning is that encrypted passcodes were also leaked, putting millions of accounts at risk. AT&T has yet to determine the source of the leak despite efforts to reset these passcodes.
Just a few months later, in July, AT&T was attacked again when a cache of data containing call records and phone numbers of nearly all its clients (around 110 million people) was stolen. This data, which included non-customers information, was exfiltrated from a third-party vendor, Snowflake.
Although AT&T managed to prevent the data from the public eye, the incident indicates the dangers of relying on third-party services without proper security controls.
Change Healthcare: A Cybersecurity Crisis in Healthcare
The healthcare sector was not left alone either. Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group was breached by a ransomware gang. It resulted in the theft of sensitive medical billing and medical information for a “substantial proportion” of Americans.
The data breach, which affected potentially hundreds of millions of people, was caused by the absence of multi-factor authentication on a critical system of healthcare system. The repercussions of this breach are severe, with the stolen data causing long-term risks to affected individuals.
Synnovis: Widespread Cybersecurity Disruption in the UK Healthcare System
In June, a cyberattack on Synnovis, which is a pathology lab serving hospitals across London, caused global disruption to patient services. The attack was attributed to a Russia-based ransomware gang.
It resulted in the theft of data from 300 million patient interactions. The hack caused the postponement of thousands of procedures and operations.
This incident highlights the catastrophic impact of cyberattacks on public health infrastructure.
Snowflake: A Breach with Far-Reaching Consequences
Perhaps one of the most prominent data breaches of 2024 includes Snowflake, a cloud data giant. Cybercriminals exploited stolen credentials to access several of Snowflake’s customers. It caused the theft of hundreds of millions of records.
The affected companies were Ticketmaster, which faced 560 million records stolen, and Advance Auto Parts, with 79 million records stolen. The incident highlights the importance of implementing security features in cloud environments and robust access controls.
Strengthen your Cybersecurity Defenses
The lessons from these data breaches are clear for all types of businesses. Firstly, it is important to reconsider your security policy. In the medical billing sector, we provide the best data security for the patient’s data and help the healthcare sectors improve their compliance and credentialing.
For every company especially the healthcare sector, a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy should be improvised.
Employee training to stop unauthorized access, regular security audits, and multi-factor authentication should be included. The healthcare sector is a target of cybersecurity because of its complete reliance on digital infrastructure.
Healthcare sectors must prioritize protecting patient data by proactive threat monitoring systems, adopting, secure data storage solutions, and advanced encryption methods.
Lastly,
Healthcare sectors are vulnerable in this situation because millions of patient data is at risk. Moving forward, healthcare sectors must be committed to safeguarding the sensitive information of their patient. By taking lessons from these security threats and continuously enhancing security protocols, they can protect clients from experiencing the threat landscape. Follow Softech Systems to know the latest updates about healthcare and medical billing. Contact us now to know more about healthcare billing, credentialing, and complaints.
