Cyberattack affecting prescription refills across Chicagoland
CHICAGO — A cyberattack on pharmacies nationwide is now in its third day, leaving many hospitals and pharmacies in the area unable to process prescriptions.
While the cyberattack only impacts specific prescription refills in certain locations, there is still concern about whether the outage, expected to last through Friday, can be fixed by the weekend.
Change Healthcare provides prescription processing through Optum, which supplies technology services to thousands of pharmacies. The company was attacked on Wednesday, making certain prescriptions difficult to refill electronically.
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Howard Ansorge told WGN News that while he did not struggle to get his prescription refilled at CVS, he feels for those who are struggling.
“That would be pretty concerning, especially for somebody who absolutely needs their medications on time,” Ansorge said.
The outage was called “frustrating” by one prescription-seeker in Evanston. A woman named Peggy, who declined to give her last name to WGN News, said in a phone interview that she would likely have to go the entire weekend without her prescription until she is able to drive out to Arlington Heights for a physical note prescription from her doctor.
“Why haven’t we been notified and was their information stolen?” she asked.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Optum’s parent company, UnitedHealth, suspects a foreign government was behind the attack. The company has since disconnected its Change Healthcare systems.
Still, cybersecurity experts warn that such attacks are becoming more common. Cyrus Walker, CEO of Data Defenders, LLC, told WGN News that it is crucial for businesses not to underestimate the importance of being vigilant.
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“They need to be looking at how they are operating on a daily basis to detect the threat and to be able to respond or mitigate the threat before it has a negative impact,” Walker said.
CVS says they are aware of the network disruption but adds that there is no indication their systems have been compromised.
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