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According to lawyer Sara Goldstein of the law firm BakerHostetler, the Change Healthcare massive attack has caused approximately 120 of the company’s IT products and services to go offline since February 21. This cyber disruption substantially and extensively affects the whole healthcare business, including major companies. The cybercriminals claimed to be from BlackCat/Alphv.
From eligibility checks and prior authorization to pharmacy benefits and claims processing, Change Healthcare, a division of Optum, a UnitedHealth Group company, offers a broad range of vital IT tools to healthcare sector enterprises. The company conducts 15 billion healthcare transactions every year.
The devastating effects of cybercrime
“So the amount, the volume of information that’s transferred to them and that’s transferred out, as well the role that they have in healthcare is tremendous. The impact of this has been substantial,” said Goldstein. She went on to say, “Many healthcare providers cannot process claims, payments, or do patient billing. Without these services and being able to generate revenue, it’s really going to create a precarious financial situation for many healthcare systems and healthcare providers.”
350,000 doctors and 15,000 group medical practices are represented by the Medical Group Management Association, which pushed the US Department of Health and Human Services to “utilize all the tools at its disposal to mitigate these impacts, so medical groups do not have to take drastic actions to remain in operation.” The HHS was told by the MGMA that “guidance, financial resources, enforcement discretion, and more are needed to avoid escalating an already serious situation.”
The downside of large companies consolidation
Goldstein said that organizations with no contractual relationship with Change Healthcare are also affected. She continued, “One thing that is being flagged is about the downside of consolidation of these types of vendors in healthcare. So, that has been a challenge. This is pretty catastrophic.”
Cybercrime affects everyone.
Here is the Goldstein interview from Inforisktoday.com.
Featured Image Credit: Created by Total Shape; Pexels
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The US government says it would be better for them if you ceased using C or C++ when programming tools. In a recent report, the White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) has urged developers to utilize “memory-safe programming languages,” a classification that does not include widely used languages. The recommendation is a step toward “securing the building blocks of cyberspace” and is a component of US President Biden’s cybersecurity plan.
Memory-safety is the defense against flaws and vulnerabilities related to memory access. Examples of this include dangling pointers and buffer overflows. Java’s runtime fault detection checks make it a memory-safe language. Nonetheless, unconstrained pointer arithmetic with direct memory addresses and without bounds checking is supported by both C and C++.
In no particular order, the NSA suggests these memory-safe programming languages

Go
Rust
C#
Swift
Java
Ruby
Python
Delphi/Object Pascal
Ada

According to a 2019 analysis by Microsoft security engineers, memory safety problems were the root cause of almost 70% of security vulnerabilities. In 2020, Google released a similar figure, although this time it was for Chromium browser issues.
The extensive report says, “Experts have identified a few programming languages that both lack traits associated with memory safety and also have high proliferation across critical systems, such as C and C++.”  And the report continues, “Choosing to use memory safe programming languages at the outset, as recommended by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Open-Source Software Security Roadmap is one example of developing software in a secure-by-design manner.”
The 19-page report aims to ensure that small organizations and individuals are not the only ones responsible for cybersecurity. Instead, the onus is on bigger institutions, digital businesses, and ultimately the government. The report seeks to detail what is considered “unsafe” programming languages, namely the use of C and C++.  The Microsoft report says, “We’re not here to debate the pros and cons of programming languages, but it is interesting to see that the report does not suggest a specific language in their place. We are told that there are “dozens of memory-safe programming languages that can — and should — be used.”
Additionally, the paper recommends improving software security metrics. According to ONCD, better measurements let technology providers plan, predict, and address risks before they become an issue.
Featured Image Credit: Paul Buijs; Pexels
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Apple has reversed its plans to restrict access to certain web apps in the EU
A few days after the EU announced it would investigate Apple’s plans to restrict access to certain web apps that circumvent its App Store, the tech company is now reversing that course of action. In an update to a developer support page, as reported by 9to5Mac, Apple says it will “continue to offer the existing Home Screen web apps capability in the EU” in iOS 17.4.
Apple maintains that home screen apps will still need to be used by its own Safari engine, WebKit. Any apps downloaded from third-party browsers will likely not appear on the home screen and may not be supported by their own engines. According to Apple, functionality should return when users update to iOS 17.4 in early March.
Apple claimed that the decision to restrict access to web apps (also known as PWAs) was in response to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). PWAs allow companies to develop apps accessible as webpages, appearing as an icon on a mobile user’s home screen. Therefore, These can be downloaded without accessing traditional app stores, which Apple reasoned that non-Safari browsers could pose unacceptable security and privacy risks under the DMA.
Apple vs the EU
This isn’t the first time that Apple has gone up against the EU. In the past, the company has resisted regulations such as universal chargers and other digital market regulations.
In this case, Apple has stated that it’s reversing the decision after it “received requests” to continue supporting the feature, reports the Verge. While it’s unclear where these requests came from, Apple’s statement that it would drop web apps drew criticism from developers and users alike. For example, the nonprofit organization Open Web Advocacy wrote an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook in regard to the move.
Featured image: Unsplash
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Spotify is journeying into mystical new areas with an in-app version of a Magic 8 Ball.
Spotify is well-known for its quirky features, whether that’s wrapping up your year in Spotify Wrapped or the rumored increasing use of AI in song recommendations. Spotify’s new feature, Song Psychic, can apparently answer your questions with a simple song response. Users can ask questions, either written themselves or via prompts within the app, and get an answer in song form.
The song itself, the artist, and the album cover appear on your screen, with the option to click through and listen to the song if you choose. If not, you can revert back to the home screen and get the answers to more of your most burning questions.
Image: Spotify
Spotify users are taking to X to share examples of some of Song Psychic’s answers. Check out a few clips of the new feature in action below, ranging from fairly predictable to pretty downright bizarre.
How to try out Spotify’s Song Psychic
Spotify Psychic
To try the new feature out for yourself — head to this webpage and scan the QR code. This will open Song Psychic in the Spotify app.
You’ll be presented with several categories, ranging from friends & family and love to career and style. Once you’ve picked the right topic for your question, you can either type in a question of your own or pick from one of the app’s many prompts.
After a few seconds of deliberating, where you’re left staring at a psychedelic screen, Song Psychic will return with a song that answers your question. It’s a fun little feature but does seem to be a bit repetitive. We tried out five questions and got Lorde’s Green Light three times. Of course, it’s an easy way to say ‘go ahead’ or ‘yes,’ but we don’t think it’s necessarily based on some sign from the greater powers that be out there.
Featured image: Spotify
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