Cyberattacks - Ongoing, mounting threat?

**Sue (Ayt)** · 5th March 2024 18:32

The facebook/Instagram hack thread this morning, along with reports about a major healthcare hack in the US prompt this thread.

I am starting it here as a place for consolidation of reports and discussions about the various cyber attacks, and the patterns we are seeing emerge. These events do appear to be ramping up, right along with that Obama movie, "Leave the World Behind" foreshadowing. I am thinking the folks here can take notice and maybe get some good discussion on what is or could be happening with this.

I will start here with links to two articles about an ongoing Ransomware attack that I find pretty alarming.

Calls Mount for Government Help as Change Healthcare Hack Freezes Medical Payments

Hospitals and lawmakers call on Medicare and Medicaid to advance payments amid revenue crunch two weeks after hack of UnitedHealth unit

Federal intervention is desperately needed to help ease a healthcare-sector crisis that began almost two weeks ago with a cyberattack on a key medical technology company that handles insurance filings, lawmakers and trade bodies say.

UnitedHealth Group-owned Optum said it was forced to disconnect over 100 systems at its Change Healthcare unit, following a ransomware attack on Feb. 21. The move brought insurance payments and other services to a halt for providers across the U.S.

The American Hospital Association wrote Congressional leaders Monday to plead for government assistance. The trade group said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should begin issuing advance payments to providers to lessen the financial burden they face.

“The healthcare system needs certainty that the cash needed to finance patient care is going to flow,” said Molly Smith, group vice president for public policy at the AHA, which counts nearly 5,000 hospitals in its membership.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees CMS, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
<snip>
The downed systems, which together comprise the largest U.S. clearinghouse for medical insurance billings and payments, and cover a range of other areas including prescription-processing, have caused severe problems for hospitals, pharmacies, clinics and other healthcare providers.

Unable to easily submit billing to insurance providers, many care organizations haven’t taken in any revenue since the attack started two weeks ago. Some care providers have furloughed staff and are concerned about their ability to remain open.
More at link

And - the next article points to the possibility that the ransom was actually paid to the attackers!

Hackers Behind the Change Healthcare Ransomware Attack Just Received a $22 Million Payment
The transaction, visible on Bitcoin's blockchain, suggests the victim of one of the worst ransomware attacks in years may have paid a very large ransom.

"The ransomware attack targeting medical firm Change Healthcare has been one of the most disruptive in years, crippling pharmacies across the US—including those in hospitals—and leading to serious snags in the delivery of prescription drugs nationwide for 10 days and counting. Now, a dispute within the criminal underground has revealed a new development in that unfolding debacle: One of the partners of the hackers behind the attack points out that those hackers, a group known as AlphV or BlackCat, received a $22 million transaction that looks very much like a large ransom payment.

On March 1, a Bitcoin address connected to AlphV received 350 bitcoins in a single transaction, or close to $22 million based on exchange rates at the time. Then, two days later, someone describing themselves as an affiliate of AlphV—one of the hackers who work with the group to penetrate victim networks—posted to the cybercriminal underground forum RAMP that AlphV had cheated them out of their share of the Change Healthcare ransom, pointing to the publicly visible $22 million transaction on Bitcoin's blockchain as proof."
more at link

(Hoping we can continue to add any future cyber warfare events and discussions as to the agendas behind them here.)

**ExomatrixTV** · 5th March 2024 18:50

See also all responses on this super recent Project Avalon Forum thread: Facebook (Instagram/Whatsapp) Severe Lockout

**Sue (Ayt)** · 5th March 2024 19:22

Does anyone else find this ominous?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2024
Contact: HHS Press Office
202-690-6343
media@hhs.gov
HHS Statement Regarding the Cyberattack on Change Healthcare

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is aware that Change Healthcare – a unit of UnitedHealth Group (UHG) – was impacted by a cybersecurity incident in late February. HHS recognizes the impact this attack has had on health care operations across the country. HHS’ first priority is to help coordinate efforts to avoid disruptions to care throughout the health care system.

HHS is in regular contact with UHG leadership, state partners, and with numerous external stakeholders to better understand the nature of the impacts and to ensure the effectiveness of UHG’s response. HHS has made clear its expectation that UHG does everything in its power to ensure continuity of operations for all health care providers impacted and HHS appreciates UHG’s continuous efforts to do so. HHS is also leading interagency coordination of the Federal government’s related activities, including working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the White House, and other agencies to provide credible, actionable threat intelligence to industry wherever possible.

HHS refers directly to UHG for updates on their incident response progress and recovery planning. However, numerous hospitals, doctors, pharmacies and other stakeholders have highlighted potential cash flow concerns to HHS stemming from an inability to submit claims and receive payments. HHS has heard these concerns and is taking direct action and working to support the important needs of the health care community.

Today, HHS is announcing immediate steps that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking to assist providers to continue to serve patients. CMS will continue to communicate with the health care community and assist, as appropriate. Providers should continue to work with all their payers for the latest updates on how to receive timely payments.

Affected parties should be aware of the following flexibilities in place:
Medicare providers needing to change clearinghouses that they use for claims processing during these outages should contact their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) to request a new electronic data interchange (EDI) enrollment for the switch. The MAC will provide instructions based on the specific request to expedite the new EDI enrollment. CMS has instructed the MACs to expedite this process and move all provider and facility requests into production and ready to bill claims quickly. CMS is strongly encouraging other payers, including state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies and Medicaid and CHIP managed care plans, to waive or expedite solutions for this requirement.
CMS will issue guidance to Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations and Part D sponsors encouraging them to remove or relax prior authorization, other utilization management, and timely filing requirements during these system outages. CMS is also encouraging MA plans to offer advance funding to providers most affected by this cyberattack.

CMS strongly encourages Medicaid and CHIP managed care plans to adopt the same strategies of removing or relaxing prior authorization and utilization management requirements, and consider offering advance funding to providers, on behalf of Medicaid and CHIP managed care enrollees to the extent permitted by the State.
If Medicare providers are having trouble filing claims or other necessary notices or other submissions, they should contact their MAC for details on exceptions, waivers, or extensions, or contact CMS regarding quality reporting programs.
CMS has contacted all of the MACs to make sure they are prepared to accept paper claims from providers who need to file them. While we recognize that electronic billing is preferable for everyone, the MACs must accept paper submissions if a provider needs to file claims in that method.

CMS has also heard from providers about the availability of accelerated payments, like those issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand that many payers are making funds available while billing systems are offline, and providers should take advantage of those opportunities. However, CMS recognizes that hospitals may face significant cash flow problems from the unusual circumstances impacting hospitals’ operations, and – during outages arising from this event – facilities may submit accelerated payment requests to their respective servicing MACs for individual consideration. We are working to provide additional information to the MACs about the specific items and information a provider’s request should contain. Specific information will be available from the MACs later this week.

This incident is a reminder of the interconnectedness of the domestic health care ecosystem and of the urgency of strengthening cybersecurity resiliency across the ecosystem. That’s why, in December 2023, HHS released a concept paper that outlines the Department’s cybersecurity strategy for the sector. The concept paper builds on the National Cybersecurity Strategy that President Biden released last year, focusing specifically on strengthening resilience for hospitals, patients, and communities threatened by cyber-attacks. The paper details four pillars for action, including publishing new voluntary health care-specific cybersecurity performance goals, working with Congress to develop supports and incentives for domestic hospitals to improve cybersecurity, increasing accountability within the health care sector, and enhancing coordination through a one-stop shop.
HHS will continue to communicate with the health care sector and encourage continued dialogue among affected parties. We will continue to communicate with UHG, closely monitor their ongoing response to this cyberattack, and promote transparent, robust response while working with the industry to close any gaps that remain.

HHS also takes this opportunity to encourage all providers, technology vendors, and members of the health care ecosystem to double down on cybersecurity, with urgency. The system and the American people can ill afford further disruptions in care. Please visit the HPH Cyber Performance Goals website for more details on steps to stay protected.

https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/...ealthcare.html

**Sue (Ayt)** · 5th March 2024 19:50

How a health-care cyberattack may affect your prescription drug access
By Marlene Cimons, McKenzie Beard and Teddy Amenabar
March 5, 2024 at 11:26 a.m. EST

A cyberattack on a health-care company has created problems for many patients trying to fill drug prescriptions. For some consumers, the hack has forced them to pay cash for expensive drugs, denied their use of pharmaceutical discount coupons or left them unable to get their refills at all.

The reason behind the chaos is a ransomware attack on a little-known company called Change Healthcare, which is believed to process 50 percent of the medical claims in the United States. But most people won’t know if the hack has affected their medical data until they try to fill a prescription or visit a doctor.
We spoke to experts about the hack and whom it has hurt. Here’s what they had to say.

The hack is affecting millions of patients, either directly or indirectly through their prescriptions, physicians and hospitals. But most patients whose health-care claims are processed by Change Healthcare aren’t aware of it, and won’t discover they have been affected by the hack until something goes wrong. The company is owned by UnitedHealth insurance, but it manages claims from many insurance providers. Change Healthcare says it manages 15 billion claims totaling more than $1.5 trillion a year.

More at link:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/welln...ptions-affect/

This article goes on to say how some cancer treatments are being cut, and some psychiatric meds are unavailable, and tests and needed procedures, scans and treatments are on pause. Some people are simply unable to obtain their prescriptions.

**Rizotto** · 5th March 2024 23:20

There had been a trend that to save one's $$$ from CBDC control, transferring $$$ into crypto or bitcoin was the solution. But with the internet becoming increasingly subject to hacking, what impact does this have on bitcoin?

https://www.reuters.com/technology/b...gh-2024-03-05/
Bitcoin soars to record high, then tumbles

I don't have any bitcoin or cryptocurrency anywhere, and I admit that I don't know a thing about bitcoin. I've heard from too many people who are under the belief that bitcoin is the solution from frozen bank account under government control. That doesn't make sense to me. I would personally advise people to buy material assets instead while we still can, i.e. land or equipment.

Please help me understand the bitcoin thing.

**ExomatrixTV** · 6th March 2024 00:22

Related upcoming crisis?:

The Pending March 11 2024 Banking Hell

**ExomatrixTV** · 6th March 2024 00:40

Posted by Rizotto (here)
Please help me understand the bitcoin thing.

cheers,
John 🦜🦋🌳

**Rizotto** · 6th March 2024 08:26

Posted by ExomatrixTV (here)

Posted by Rizotto (here)
Please help me understand the bitcoin thing.

cheers,
John 🦜🦋🌳

Thanks Exomatrix! The list is so long, complex and full of contradictions that it solves my problem right away. It's not just that I'm too lazy to get informed on bitcoin. Now I realize that nobody really knows what's going on.

**norman** · 6th March 2024 09:40

A slightly off-topic thought popped up and dominated my mind as I scanned this thread.

I have a question. How much incriminating evidence of the massive crime of the 'vaccines' is sitting on servers in the health care and health insurance industry ?

**Harmony** · 6th March 2024 09:53

What comes to mind also is attention is being brought to these kind of incidences, also in Austrlia off and on. It could be to make the general population think a sensible solution would be to introduce the personal identity code that links all services under one umbrella.

**Rizotto** · 6th March 2024 22:43

Posted by Harmony (here)
What comes to mind also is attention is being brought to these kind of incidences, also in Austrlia off and on. It could be to make the general population think a sensible solution would be to introduce the personal identity code that links all services under one umbrella.

I agree Harmony, unfortunately, that's most likely what it is about.

Over the past few years I've asked IT specialists what could we do in the case that anonymous access to internet is rendered impossible by new 'government' rules. They answer that won't happen, there will always be ways to access the internet. Then they launch into explanations that are too complicated for my little head. They also recommend bitcoin to offset CBDC control, but I never get a clear answer as to what happens to bitcoin when the grid is down or the internet is down, real possibilities in these days of world wars and EMP attacks or 'star war' laser attacks on communications satellites.

I also recall that during the 2022 Freedom Convoy, when Turdeau froze protesters' bank accounts, Turdeau also claimed that they (somehow) blocked cryptocurrencies 'wallets'. I don't even know what that is. But I didn't hear any expert contradict Turdeau on this point, and would welcome any clarification on that matter by folks here with experience in these things.

It's a fact now that the 'government' is just too well aware that by snatching our money away from us, they're essentially paralysing our lives.

So, we need a clear plan to circumvent 'new rules' on internet access, that even a dummy like me can understand. Even a statement like 'sorry, but in case of an EMP attack, there's nothing we can do' is better than unrealistic theories.

**Sue (Ayt)** · 6th March 2024 23:02

As to the healthcare hack (above) - it is fairly well acknowledged that the US healthcare system as it exists now is unsustainable.
A "cyberattack" might be a good plan to dismantle the system while diverting the blame to some chosen outside enemy.
(Kind of like 911, and maybe covid, neither of which showed much concern as to "collateral damage".)

It could also be used as an excuse for the ponzi-scheme financial system that we have going now, or for any number of other system take-downs.

**palehorse** · 7th March 2024 11:34

Posted by Rizotto (here)
..
I also recall that during the 2022 Freedom Convoy, when Turdeau froze protesters' bank accounts, Turdeau also claimed that they (somehow) blocked cryptocurrencies 'wallets'. I don't even know what that is. But I didn't hear any expert contradict Turdeau on this point, and would welcome any clarification on that matter by folks here with experience in these things.

It's a fact now that the 'government' is just too well aware that by snatching our money away from us, they're essentially paralysing our lives.
..

basically there is 2-ways to hold crypto, one is using your own wallet, installed in your computer where ONLY YOU holds the private key and have access to transact it. The second way is using companies to hold your crypto (similar to what banks do), in that case you hold NOTHING, they do, and they can freeze funds as they wish, because these exchanges companies are built by a bunch of whores and they will do anything they were told.

So if you have 1 million dollar in cash or gold and you hide it anywhere, it is your possession and the government has no access to it.
But if you have the same amount in a bank and the government decide this money should be frozen for whatever reason, so they do.

The system is rigged in all levels, you own what you hold and sometimes not even that!

The solution is to use truly decentralized systems with personal wallets installed in your computer where only you has the private key or cash in hand. Banks or crypto exchanges are not your friend, they are corrupted institutions and work against you, so why keep resources with them?

**Sue (Ayt)** · 11th March 2024 19:12

French state services hit by cyberattacks of 'unprecedented intensity'

"Cyberattacks of "unprecedented intensity" have targeted several French government institutions just months before the Paris Olympics but have been contained, the prime minister's office said Monday.

The latest cyberattack to hit France follows a warning from Attal's defence adviser just last week that the Olympics games in July and European Parliament elections in June could be "significant targets".

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's office said several state bodies were targeted but did not provide details.

"Many ministerial services were targeted" from Sunday "using familiar technical means but of unprecedented intensity," Attal's office said.

A security source told AFP that the attacks "are not currently attributable to Russia," an obvious suspect for many given Paris' support for Kyiv since the invasion of Ukraine.

The PM's staff added that a "crisis cell has been activated to deploy countermeasures", meaning "the impact of these attacks has been reduced for most services and access to state websites restored."

Specialist services including information security agency ANSSI were "implementing filtering measures until the attacks are over".

Several hacker groups claimed responsibility for the attacks on Telegram, a messaging app, including one calling itself Anonymous Sudan which said it had launched a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on French government network infrastructure.

"We have conducted a massive cyberattack... the damage will be widespread," said the group, which posts with an avatar of a hooded Guy Fawkes mask in front of a desert scene with pyramids.

Guy Fawkes is famous for his 1605 plot to blow up Britain's parliament, and his image has become a widespread symbol for revolutionary protest.

"A lot of different digital government sectors have been affected, including very important websites, with their respective subdomains," it said.

Anonymous Sudan is a known outfit that has carried out attacks in the past year against websites in countries including Sweden, Denmark and Israel.

Purportedly based in Sudan, it says it targets what it deems to be anti-Muslim activity with some signs that it is sympathetic to Russia.

A DDoS attack involves using a computer or network of computers to make a massive number of requests of a target system, overwhelming its ability to respond to legitimate users.

According to US cybersecurity firm Cloudflare, Anonymous Sudan is one of many groups employing DDoS attacks and organisations can protect themselves against its methods.

The latest cyberattack also follows a call from Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu last month to step up protection against "sabotage and cyberattack" by Russia, in an internal note seen by AFP that said his ministry was top of Moscow's target list."
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/2...hacking-france

**Sue (Ayt)** · 31st March 2024 22:47

Millions of customers' data found on dark web in latest AT&T data breach

AT&T announced on Saturday it is investigating a data breach involving the personal information of more than 70 million current and former customers leaked on the dark web.

According to information about the breach on the company's website, 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former account holders have been impacted. An AT&T press release said the breach occurred about two weeks ago, and that the incident has not yet had a "material impact" on its operations.

AT&T said the information included in the compromised data set varies from person to person. It could include social security numbers, full names, email and mailing addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth, as well as AT&T account numbers and passcodes.
more at link:
https://www.npr.org/2024/03/30/12418...reach-dark-web

**Sue (Ayt)** · 3rd August 2024 05:38

Ransomware attack hits Florida blood donation center that services more than 350 hospitals

A cyberattack on the nonprofit blood donation center OneBlood is stifling operations at an organization that normally services more than 350 hospitals across four states, the organization announced on Wednesday.

"With donation centers scattered across the southeastern United States, OneBlood's supplies usually support 355 hospitals in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, according to the organization. To help make up for the current loss, OneBlood said it's partnering with blood centers across the country and a national disaster task force that will send additional blood, platelets and other blood products. They are calling for people of all blood types to donate, but O Positive and O Negative blood types as well as platelets are particularly crucial. Donors can find the nearest OneBlood center here."

"U.S. authorities and security researchers alike have warned that ransomware attacks like these are becoming more common, and they often impact health and medical institutions like hospitals and pharmacies. A cyberattack in the U.K. recently depleted stocks of O-type blood."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ransomw...blood-florida/

**norman** · 3rd August 2024 06:13

There was this 2 days ago, too

300 Indian banks hit after ransomware attack cripples payment systems: Report

https://www.indiatoday.in/world/stor...793-2024-08-01

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