One-third of Americans could be hit by Change Healthcare cyberattack [Video]

UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty on Wednesday told lawmakers that data from an estimated one-third of Americans could have been compromised in the cyberattack on its subsidiary Change Healthcare, and that the company paid a $22 million ransom to hackers.

Witty testified in front of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which falls under the House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce. He said the investigation into the breach is still ongoing, so the exact number of people affected remains unknown. The one-third figure is a rough estimate.

UnitedHealth has previously said the cyberattack likely impacts a “substantial proportion of people in America,” according to an April release. The company confirmed that files containing protected health information and personally identifiable information were compromised in the breach. 

It will likely be months before UnitedHealth is able to notify individuals, given the “complexity of the data review,” the release said. The company is offering free …