US pharmaceutical distribution giant McKesson confirmed last week that hackers broke into several of its cloud-hosted accounts and exfiltrated data. The company expects "intermittent service degradation" as a result of the incident.
The ShinyHunters hacking group has taken credit for the cyberattack, telling TechCrunch they gained access by tricking employees through phishing and social engineering. The group claims to have stolen millions of rows of patient data from McKesson's cloud environments, though the exact number of affected individuals is unclear.
The hackers state the stolen information includes personal details such as names, addresses, and Social Security numbers, alongside protected health information like diagnoses, medications, allergies, and patient notes. Employee information, including home addresses, was also reportedly taken.
McKesson's chief technology officer, Francisco Fraga, informed customers that the stolen data relates to its oncology & multispecialty and medical-surgical units. McKesson is a major distributor of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies across the United States.
Bleeping Computer reported that the hackers demanded a $55 million ransom from McKesson to prevent the public release of the stolen files. McKesson is the latest in a series of healthcare companies and medical device makers to experience cyberattacks in recent months.