UnitedHealthcare reports data breach impacting residents in multiple states

UnitedHealthcare has reported a significant data security breach that has affected residents in several states, including Rhode Island, Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia, California and North Carolina. The breach, classified as a "data security incident," involved the unauthorized access of personal health information of individuals.

The compromised data varied from one person to another but could potentially include sensitive details such as

• names,
• member ID numbers,
• types of health insurance plans,
• the county and state of residency of those affected.

However, it's important to note that the breach did not expose other sensitive information like social security numbers, driver's license numbers, or any financial account data.

No details are disclosed about the number of affected individuals.

UnitedHealthcare initially became aware of the incident on December 29, 2022, when they identified that an unauthorized third party had gained access to a specific UHC broker portal. In response, the company promptly notified law enforcement agencies to initiate an investigation into the matter.

Further investigation revealed that the unauthorized party accessed this portal with the intention of diverting funds that were originally meant for agents or brokers. This breach of personal information occurred over a span of nearly two months, from December 1, 2022, to January 25, 2023.

This is a second reported incident from UnitedHealthcare in three months, with the first one being the MOVEit breach of UnitedHealthcare Student Resources.

UnitedHealthcare is taking several steps to address the situation. They are in the process of notifying individuals who have been affected by this data breach, ensuring that they are aware of the potential compromise of their personal health information. They have also implemented additional safeguards on the UHC broker portal to reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future.